This car and driver stackup between VW's ID.4 and Kia's 2020 Niro picks at little niggling details that car wonks care about and the average driver mostly won't. The treatment read like an article about any other pair of cars. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a36648539/2020-kia-niro-ev-vs-2021-vw-id4-compared/
They are still way too expensive to be called main stream. On top of that, there is the cost of installing a circuit and EVSE, often costing over a thousand dollars and the lack of low cost charging at work. EVs have a long ways before they become main stream in the USA unless the government mandates them.
I think the key point is work place charging. Give companies a full (???) tax deduction for installing Lvl2 chargers and all of a sudden you will see them pop up everywhere. Heck we live in corporate America. Anything that makes a company deduct anything from taxes works.
Not at all. There are a lot of more expensive mainstream cars, SUVs, and trucks (i.e. not counting luxury). Yes, the gas version of the same car can be had for less, but to say they're too expensive to be mainstream is silly.
I’ve forwarded rebates to my employer. There is cost, yes, but for them it was just who has time to go out and do the installs. People are just too busy to put this on their plate. It might have to be a mandate instead of an incentive.
A $42K car or SUV that's well equipped and will save you money on maintenance and fuel is indeed mainstream, but in the upper half of mainstream. To truly take over the market, EV prices will need to come down under $30K, and that's still probably a while off.
4WD pickups are too expensive to be mainstream German Sedans are too expensive to be mainstream Ford Expeditions are too expensive to be mainstream Yet there they are driving around the streets
I bought my first new car in 1982 It cost me $178 a month for a car that was 50 percent more expensive than the cheapest available car[$7200 vs about $5000] but it was still a pretty cheap car. Average car was just shy of 10k per online sources You can lease a new Kona for $269 sign and drive, today 39 years later Yes EVs are more expensive than many ICE cars, they are also cheaper than many ICE cars and well within the mainstream This whole 'an EV must be better in every way' is a reactionary tactic An EV is already better in every way. It is not necessary that it also be cheaper
SO, while I installed a 240 volt circuit, it is quite probable that it is not required If you bought a brand new Niro, fully charged and it said, like mine, 292 miles on the GOM Then you plugged it into your 120 volt outlet after driving home, it would be at 292 miles in the morning Say you commute 20 miles to work, 40 miles , down to 252 Monday you come home and plug in, 120 volts gives you about 5 miles per hour Tuesday, same thing, still says 292 miles, drive to work and back, 40 miles, store run , 50 miles total, charge for 12 hours, wed morning, still at 292 Wednesday, uhh, ohh, kid is sick, run to school pick them up , go back to work, work late to make up. You drove 85 miles and didn't plug in till 9 pm Thursday morning, 9 hours later, GOM says 252, 40 miles commuting, GOM says 212 when you get home. charge 13 hours GOM at 277 in the AM Friday, go out with the boys, add a dozen miles, home ad midnight, GOM says 225 when you plug in, but since you aren't getting up early, you charge till 10 am, 275 on GOM, Fart around run some errands, 25 miles, but ends up plugged in 14 hours of the day, so Sunday morning it is at 292 on the GOM, again. Oh no, got to go see uncle morty today, 90 mile round trip on the highway, eats 110 miles off the GOM, down to 182 when you plug in Sunday night at 8pm. 11 hours later you leave for work, GOM says 237, down to 197 when you get home, 14 hours later it says 267, by Wednesday, you are back to 292 The absolute living hell and stress of 120 volt charging No one is charging their EV every day like that, they are probably plugging in every other So, no you don't 'have' to spend thousands installing a 240 volt outlet, it is convenient and adds peace of mind BUt as you can see, even with a 25 percent longer than average commute, you are not in any danger of being unable to travel an unforeseen 150 mile round trip. Without having to charge anywhere but home on 120 volts
That's the exact reason I am only charging on 120V. I do use the 120V charger on 240V once in a while when I need a little extra juice.
I've had my Kona for 15 months and have never considered a 240 volt charger. For the driving I do, my plain ole ordinary wall socket does just fine, and I think it would for many people.
For a while I actually had an 80 mile roundtrip work commute, and then a 120 mile drive right afterwards and before my shifts. I still made it with my 120V charger, charging at the apartment and at work. Over the work week it would charge enough to cover the 40 miles one way and a little bit extra to get back up to 80% over the 7 days so I can do the long drive at the end of the week.