Counter point... ICE sales are only falling because build priority is being given to EVs, and ICE vehicles aren't being given the chips needed to produce them.
Tesla sells more EVs than everyone else put together. There is no federal credit to buy a Tesla. Tesla doesn't shift priorities to EVs because they don't sell ICE. Frankly, everyone else is still playing catch up to Tesla.
I think you're really underestimating how big of a factor price is. It's like, the #1 criteria for most buyers.
No, I agree that up front cost is the single biggest hurdle EV makers must overcome. Cost over five years is basically on parity with ICE cars like a Honda Accord, and over 10 years a good EV is cheaper than the cheapest economy car. However, that doesn't change the fact that not everyone can suck up the initial purchase price to take advantage of the cheaper overall cost of an EV.
Past that, how is the EV better? Torque? My wife doesn't care about that. Acceleration? She doesn't care about that either. Never going to a gas station? We get gas at Sam's club and we go there weekly, so no benefit there. We've already established an electric powertrain isn't really driving reliability for most vehicles. So what's the perk for a pretty typical family like us? Even barring the range issues.
You have a couple of misconceptions here, because you have never owned an EV. I've already mentioned these, but you asked, so:
The annoyance of filling up with gas is a pain that you have learned to live with, because you had to. Once you're free of that it's like a weight being lifted off of your shoulders. When you go to Sam's club you have to spend time filling up. If there is a line, like there always is at our Costco, you have to wait in line. You're in the tiny minority if you don't have to sometimes fill up before you can go somewhere. With an EV, you only spend time charging on long trips. Other than that, you spend a couple of seconds plugging in after parking at home. That's it. your car is always ready to go. You say it's no big deal because you don't know any better. Three years ago I agreed with you. Today I still revel when driving past Costco, or starting a trip across town without worrying about whether or not I need gas.
Speaking of gas, how much do you pay to fill up? My truck costs me damn near $200 these days. If I were foolish enough to drive my blazer on my four or five times a eek drive to the Columbia River Gorge I'd be spending about $230/week just to go kiteboarding! Ouch! Instead I spend about $5 driving my Performance Model Y. yes I know that's a lot, but it's a windy road and I drive it pretty hard. Oh, and it does cost me a few cents to keep the car cold all day, but that's a great investment when my expensive kites don't have to degrade in the heat. A $10,000 quiver of kites is worth taking care of, don't you think? Another way I save money with an EV.
When it's hot out is your car hot inside after coming out of the store? Mine isn't. When it's frigid out, is your car cold inside when you finish an errand? Mine isn't. After spending a day on the river in 100 degree heat, my car is nice and cool after lugging my gear up from my slip. I'll even admit if it's really hot out I turn the temp in my car down to 63 degrees 15 minutes or so before I get back to it. It's so pleasant after hoofing it in the heat to get into a cold car! If you have a dog, you can actually leave your dog in the car when you're in the store because the car stays cool and comfortable.
The driving experience in an EV is just better. My wife didn't care about acceleration or torque either. But she does love how effortless it is to drive an EV. There is no transmission, so it's always in the right gear. Just push a little on the right peddle and you go faster, smooth as silk. You want to go slower just lift your foot a little of the right peddle. You almost never touch the brake peddle. Admittedly, it does take a drive or two to get used to one pedal driving, but then you wonder how you ever lived without it. Merging, passing, accident avoidance, an EV does these things effortlessly. An EV usually has a near perfect 50-50 weight balance. This also just makes driving it more enjoyable. It just feels better. Why is there a long wait list for a 911? Because it's a sublime driving experience. An EV is a better driving experience yet. (Except at track day.) You may say you don't care, but once you experience it, it would be hard to go back. It's just way more pleasant to drive an EV.
Speaking of driving, It's so nice to let the car drive while I eat a sandwich or open a pop. Or when I'm stuck in traffic. Or when it gets tedious on long freeway drives.
Yes, we've established that EVs are insanely more reliable than ICE rigs. Far fewer moving parts means far fewer failures. Coolant changes? Not required--ever--in my car. I might have to do the brakes after 200,000 or 300,000 miles because I drive harder than most. My wife's brakes will probably go 500,000 miles. That'll be after I'm gone from this world. It's nice to know that I will NEVER have to do another brake job. OK, one more on my Y if I'm still up to such things in that many years. How about switches? I've restored a lot of cars, switches are a big failure point and hard to find once the car is 10 years old. Count up the switches in your car. Mine has nine. Since Tesla uses the same switches as much as possible across all platforms, I should be able to easily replace these switches 30 years from now. Of course, 99% of ICE vehicles sold today will be junk long before most of the switches fail... Yes, you can keep an ICE rig running for a long time--with a lot of maintenance and a lot of work over the years. Or, you can just drive an EV.
