In the evolution of the electric vehicle, 2022 will be remembered for its megafauna: huge electric trucks finally roamed the earth, with equally exorbitant prices. Next year, however, should bring a few subspecies: a diaspora of SUVs, including some slightly smaller options and, even rarer, some gorgeous ones with more modest window decals. If you're looking to trade a car, here are four tips to keep in mind.
You can expect to see more electric vehicles inCostco.
About 20 new EV models are expected to debut in the US over the next 12 months, about the same asthe same amountas it debuted this year. More importantly though, many of them are hitting a sweet spot in the US market, meaning good for hauling cargo and families, and not very expensive.
Days ago, the long-awaited NissanIs thatIt finally hit dealerships with a starting price of $43,190. Within a few months, Chevrolet says it will add itsChaqueta EVfor only $45,000, followed by the smallest and cheapestelectric equinoxno kia outputEV9, a genuine three-liner, is likely to land in somewhat accessible territory as well, if it tracks down its little brother, the EV6. And on the startup front, VinFast, a Vietnamese manufacturer, will debut itsresume 8, a small SUV priced at $40,700 (although the battery is included in a monthly subscription plan).
European drivers can expect many of the same options, plus some strictly continental ones like thejeep avenger, a squat SUV that stands as the brand's first all-electric offering. Added to it are some sports vans, such as the Opel Astra Electric and thePeugeot e-308 SW. Partly due to their lower profiles, both cars boast impressive efficiency, with touring-ready range figures on much smaller batteries than those found in most American electric vehicles.
The $100,000+ market is not shrinking.
Lots of high-end SUVs are on the way in 2023, including aHummer EV de GMC, priced right in the six-figure territory; the first electricLexus,nicknamed RZan “electrified” version of the HyundaiGV70; two more crossover-like little things from Polestar, named simply3 y 4; and at the top of the pyramid of luxury, the MercedesEQE and EQS. There is even talk of a great electricvolvo.
We will also start to see more electric vehicles like theRivian R1Sand the new cadillaclyrical, which are technically on the market but still rare on most American roads. On the truck side, GM will finally start to eradicate itselectric silverado, a model that regularly gains more than half a million gas customers per year.
Manufacturing issues are unlikely to abate.
Those looking for an electric SUV will see their options double in 2023. But choosing a new harness and buying a new harness will still be very different things. Supplies will remain tight, prices will remain high, and legacy automakers will remaineager to sellgasoline vehicles while powering almost the entire electric vehicle market.
Meanwhile, new car manufacturers are still figuring out how to build a car to scale. Rivian, for example, only didabout 25,000vehicles this year, even though it has more than four times as many orders on its books. Lucid Group was targeting just 6,000 to 7,000 EVs in 2022 after halving its late-summer production targets.
S&P Global Mobility expects drivers around the world to buy 10 million electric vehicles by 2023, nearly 14% of the entire market, but they won't be cheap. S&P warns that the EV craze is driving up prices and a wave ofnew incentivesestablished in the Inflation Reduction Act will only slightly alleviate pain.
Making money with electric vehicles won't get much easier.
While processes in Detroit, Seoul, Stuttgart and Tokyo may finally get the computer chips they need, the unit economics of electric vehicles is still poor. Lithium Ion Battery Pricesincreased in 2022for the first time in history, an increase of 7%. And some of the biggest brains in the business, includingToyotaPresidentakio toyodaand CEO and co-founder of Rivianscared rj, they fear it will take years for the battery supply chain to catch up.
That's why the best strategy for auto executives may be to stick to the simple.bait and switch: Getting drivers to go electric with low entry-level prices while phasing out much more expensive and high-end models. If you can't make enough cars already, logic goes, make the most profitable ones.
But if the economy remains on shaky ground and interest rates continue to rise, betting on indefinite demand may not be a good idea. “US consumers are settling in,” says S&P analyst Chris Hopson, “and the pre-pandemic rebound in vehicle demand looks like a tough sell.”
The irony is that no one has any idea how many drivers want to use electricity, but it's safe to say that there are a lot. Surveys regularly point to 25-50% electric vehicle curious, and that proportion will only increase as products proliferate. For eco-driving, as the saying goes, it's the best of times and… well… it could be better.
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