There’s no shortage of headlines about the EV market. From trends in sales and updates to charging infrastructure to new models bursting onto the scene, EV news is humming
In your years of covering the auto industry and the EV transition, what’s the biggest shift you’ve seen occur so far?
You write frequently about the newest EV models. What stands out to you about the EVs hitting the market now and in the near future?
In general, we’re looking at faster charging, longer range and lower prices — these are all things that are moving in the right direction over the past 5-10 years. The car makers are really starting to address the big pain points, slowly but surely. They’re meeting customers closer to where they are with a greater number of options.
Affordability is the trend to really watch. There are a lot of promises from car companies to create EVs that are more affordable to the regular consumer. We have to see how that pans out; right now, I think it’s looking good.
Right now, new EVs sell for close to $60,000, which is a price most people can’t afford. There are lots of efforts underway to bring that price down and have cars costing around $30,000. The Chevrolet Equinox EV is going to be $35,000 with over 300 miles of range and is also eligible for a tax credit of $7,500, so that’s a ton of range for around $27,000. Volvo, Kia, Ford and Jeep all have plans for lower cost options in the 2026-2027 timeframe.
There’s lots of chatter about EV sales growth slowing down. What’s your take on the direction EV sales are going right now and do you see the current trend continuing?
A lot of the headlines, I think, exaggerate what’s going on. We’re seeing a slowdown in the growth of sales, but EV sales in the U.S. are still growing, and pretty fast, just not as fast as they were.
With any technology revolution, that’s going to happen. To grow from 100,000 cars sold to 200,000 sold the next year is not the same as growing from one million to two million. The growth is going to have these slower periods as the market grows. We’re still seeing record sales, last year over a million [EVs sold], and this year will be substantially more than that. We’ll see this slower period over the next year or two, but things are still growing and as these models come on the market that are cheaper and better and as charging improves, the trends are all heading in the direction of more sales, not less.
What’s one EV story you’d love to be able to write over the next year?
I would like to be able to write the story of the whole auto industry switching plugs. Tesla has always had a different plug than the rest of the carmakers and they have the best charging network of all the carmakers. All the big car companies have struck deals to be able to use Tesla’s network and plug design in their cars and offer adapters in the meantime. That’s going to be huge for consumers, when they can actually utilize 15,000 Tesla charging points. That’ll help ease one of these really big pain points people have about going electric, but the rollout and transition have been slower than expected.
In the next year, it would be great to see more people who own different types of EVs actually be able to access the Tesla supercharger network.
Let’s think ahead to this time next year, mid-to-late 2025…what’s one prediction you’d make for the EV industry?
AAA’s Recommendation: Whether you own an electric vehicle or a gas-powered car is up to you – and you should consider lots of factors in making that choice. No matter what type of vehicle you’re choosing, we recommend visiting a dealership, test driving one, and asking as many questions as possible to make an informed decision.
