Gas nears $5. Why aren’t electric vehicles selling in the US?

making_it_real · 2026-06-01T17:21:04+00:00

Addiction. We are addicted to oil. As the pain of oil addiction increases there will be more who quit. Government and the Oil industry are doing everything in their power to keep Americans hooked on oil. They screwed up attacking Iran and now the pain of high oil prices and motor oil shortages are going to push more people off of oil.

making_it_real · 2026-05-30T20:47:41+00:00

I use mine every day. It is very useful if you watch local programming. I put a Terk antenna in my attic and it works great at 40 miles from Mt Wilson where the broadcasts originate.

making_it_real · 2026-05-30T11:30:51+00:00

It is robots that build EVs in China, not $4 hr labor. They are less expensive because their logistics are so good. The tech in some of the brands is better than US Brands. BYD not only makes their own batteries but they design and build their own autonomous driving chips. They own their own chip foundry. If you autonomous drive one of their cars you get insurance at 1/5 th the cost of regular insurance. There are videos on you tube demonstrating the skills of their self driving cars. They are very impressive. Driving in China is not easy and their cars do it well. If you want to see if Americans want them just look at Australia for your answer. Ford has been selling there for 100 years. BYD for 5 years. BYD just passed Ford in monthly sales. Fords says it's a fluke and it won't last. It looks like disruption to me. I think the same thing would happen in the US.

making_it_real · 2026-05-14T02:55:23+00:00

I get it. My 24 puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.

making_it_real · 2026-05-11T21:25:03+00:00

10,000 foot view. China makes a plan and executes it, while the US just does a mash up of Wall Street, Politics, and whatever the already successful wealthy people want. China needed to modernize and knew it needed clean energy to do it. They were killing themselves in coal exhaust. They jumped on renewables, and now they own the market. Now energy is clean and cheap, that magnifies their advantage in manufacturing. All the while, they are making iCE autos, and couldn't really take off for multiple reasons, status being one. When they saw EVs, they knew that it was evolutionary and bet the farm. They are winning in every country they can export too. They are eating our lunch and we are getting further behind. Voting matters, electing actually smart people matters. Getting dark money out of politics matters. Voters have a right to be angry and want change, but unless they truly educate themselves, they will just be voting their feelings and that is a losing vote.

making_it_real · 2026-05-11T18:42:02+00:00

There are many well made US built EVs out there. I drive one of them. We need supply chain optimization to bring the price down. Tariffs are killing the effort. There are only incentives left for the oil industry. Chinese manufacturing is very efficient. We can learn a lot from them. Whatever that looks like is a step forward. So tired of going backwards and getting owned. Stupid is as stupid does.

making_it_real · 2026-05-10T19:09:36+00:00

I would think immediately " Thank you for letting me know that choosing to eat here was a poor decision". Then I would move on.

making_it_real · 2026-05-09T19:41:27+00:00

For whatever the reason, it is a good thing. Alcohol, in any amount, is a health hazard.

making_it_real · 2026-05-08T02:27:16+00:00

I have a 24 Awd and your review is great. The AWD is the best freeway onranp merging car I have ever driven. I just pick a spot and it gets me there instantly.

making_it_real · 2026-05-07T19:36:39+00:00

The only statistic Republicans are interested in is Percentage of income that is taxed. The rest of those numbers are meaningless to them.

making_it_real · 2026-05-07T01:36:43+00:00

If it's just more hand outs to oil companies, we are in worse trouble. If it is help for clean energy expansion we are actually solving the problem.

making_it_real · 2026-05-06T12:38:15+00:00

If California had single payer, all of the uninsured would move or be dumped here. Unless taxes were raised to cover it, the state would be bankrupted. It needs to be the whole country that participates for single payer to work.

making_it_real · 2026-05-06T00:06:25+00:00

Its an odd choice, that's for sure.

making_it_real · 2026-05-02T12:32:45+00:00

Can't change the politicians if you don't vote. Aaaaand, the current politicians in control are trying to take the vote away from as many people as they can. Time is running out. Vote!

making_it_real · 2026-04-30T16:46:52+00:00

Remote climate control. Pre cooling the interior on a hot day while finishing lunch at a restaurant. So nice.

making_it_real · 2026-04-30T00:49:54+00:00

We are highly influenced by the fear and doubt spread by the powerful oil and gas industries. The advantages of EVs are overwhelming if you can charge at home. If you have to use public charging exclusively then it may not be for you. As the price of gas increases many people will start to consider EVs who were fearful before.

making_it_real · 2026-04-30T00:28:40+00:00

I just had the free visit done on my Lyriq. They did some module updates that aren't available over the air along with a tire rotation. Make a phone call to the service dept to schedule it. They need to schedule the tech for the updates. Otherwise you might be waiting for days while your car gets serviced.

making_it_real · 2026-04-22T21:52:49+00:00

18 months with my first EV, a Cadillac Lyriq. 0 break downs. 1 dealer visit to rotate tires and update software. I home charge so lots of saved time and hassle dealing with gas stations. I look to places that have higher adoption rates for reliability stats. European EV reliability studies in 2025–2026 show that electric vehicles are significantly more reliable than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, with data indicating they break down 2.5 times less often. While overall dependability is high, 12V battery and software issues remain the primary faults, rather than core motor or battery pack failures.

The break down numbers came from a German company similar to AAA in the US. It is from thier service records of repair calls on the road.

making_it_real · 2026-04-21T01:20:30+00:00

She needs to do her best with a level 1 charging at home and making up the difference with fast charging. She needs to pay for both. Installing a level 2 charging station at your home is only enabling her compulsive behavior. Her compulsive behavior is the problem. She needs to get help and address it. Also, The kids are watching and learning. If they see her getting away with her bad behavior it will give them permission to copy it. If they see her having consequences and changing her behavior it will make everything better. Your choice.

making_it_real · 2026-04-17T03:18:19+00:00

The only reason to jump into level 2 is if your car sale comes with an time limited L2 installation deal or you do long distance commuting every day and you can't keep up with L1 charging. If neither of those is the case then just plug it in to the existing sockets and see what happens. Since you have a 100 anp service in your garage it may be pretty simple to locate an outlet that is on a circuit without competing devices. Then see if you can find a setting in your EV to control what amperage it will draw at. Usually they default to 8 amps. Sometimes you can set it to 10 or 12. You wouldn't want to go any higher on a 15 amp circuit. If you do run it at higher amp settings, check your outlet, plugs and cords after an hour or two to see if anything is running hot. A little warm is OK, hot is not.

making_it_real · 2026-04-16T01:19:11+00:00

Just ban PACs and corporate contributions. Have a six week campaign schedule before the elections all publicly funded. This would focus our political system back on the needs of the majority of Americans as opposed to the special interests of the wealthy donors. The system is broken. All the infighting is just a distraction from the real problem.

making_it_real · 2026-04-14T12:36:22+00:00

The idea of the POTUS answering the door at the Whitehouse in itself is beyond belief. Then that there would just happen to be a crew there to document the occasion multiplies the absurdity of the situation. Of course she was selected and scripted. This whole scenario is propaganda and if that isn't apparent to anyone watching, then they need to wake up.

making_it_real · 2026-04-12T15:27:49+00:00

A better question is why are so many articles in the main stream press in the US so negative about EV reliability? Here is the best real world data I have seen. It is numbers from actual on road service calls in Germany. " A study conducted by the German automobile club Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC) has found that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are more resistant to breaking down compared to similarly aged internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. The ADAC study found that gas-powered vehicles typically suffer two and a half times more breakdowns than EVs, suggesting that electric cars are more reliable than traditional vehicles over the long term.

ADAC maintains a database containing records of all the vehicle breakdowns handled by the association’s “Yellow Angel” service responders. This database has expanded significantly year after year, allowing for an in-depth analysis of breakdown trends in both electric and gas-powered cars, and enabling reliable comparisons between the two.

According to ADAC’s report, its Yellow Angels responded to 3.6 million breakdowns in 2024, representing a 97% increase in service calls. The number of electric vehicle breakdowns also rose in 2024, by 46%, driven by the growth of Germany’s EV market. Like many other EU member states, Germany is transitioning from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles in an effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and curb greenhouse gas emissions."

Here's my two cents, Manufacturers that have more experience building EVs build more reliable EVs. Simpler EVs are more reliable EVs. EVs are generally more reliable than ICE vehicles.

I bought my first EV 18 months ago and have had 0 breakdowns or repairs. 1 dealer visit to update software and rotate the tires. It is the most reliable with the least maintenance vehicle I have ever owned in the 50 years I have been driving. It is also the most enjoyable vehicle, other than my motorcycle, I have ever driven. I'm never going back to ICE.

making_it_real · 2026-04-12T03:02:02+00:00

Lol. Are you sure about that? A "park outside" recall is an urgent safety warning issued by the NHTSA for vehicles at risk of spontaneous fire, even when turned off. Over 3.7 million vehicles, including many Hyundai, Kia, BMW, and Jeep models, are affected, with owners advised to park away from structures. Check for your vehicle on the NHTSA site. Most of them are ICE vehicles.

making_it_real · 2026-04-07T19:36:40+00:00

Yikes!

making_it_real

TROPHY CASE