The electric car quandary

A few days ago, the New York Times ran a piece about the growing popularity of electric cars among consumers. 

As most countries are emerging from the pandemic and the supply chain problems that have made car-buying both difficult and very expensive, it’s undeniable that – at least in the US where I live – there’s a growing interest for electric cars which has been forcefully suppressed by Big Oil propaganda and disinformation about electric vehicles in general. 

In addition, their lack of availability and long wait-time, their high purchase price, many times without any government help, plus a generalized fear from the public, especially about range anxiety, recharging issues and simply speaking, a basic and widespread fear of change have hindered their popularity. 

Most importantly, perhaps, car manufacturers that began switching to that technology haven’t been able to deliver. In the US, for instance, Consumer Reports doesn’t like Tesla and give the cars terrible scores, yet, paradoxically, its owners almost fanatically love the car which defeat the magazine own ratings! 

As the early-adopter I’ve always been, I have owned one for more than 6 months now, and also love it madly. It’s the best automobile I’ve ever owned, but it also comes with significant differences and quirks that I’m learning to live with. Yes, change is always hard to swallow, especially when the user is almost 75 years old!