Second edit: seems that the rest of the world is leading electric car adoption way ahead of the U.S. . Electric cars still represent a tiny fraction of the overall market (1/300th of the world's car sales). Surprisingly, it's China that leads the way.
> seems that the rest of the world is leading electric car adoption way ahead of the U.S.
In parts of Europe, this is due to incredibly high taxes on ICE vehicles - that dwarf the US EV credits.
One of the reasons this is politically possible is because in areas with good public infrastructure, car ownership is a luxury (Or even a burden), while in most of the US, it is a necessity.
Could also be related to population density. Fewer vehicle miles travelled per capita = less range anxiety. More people living in urban-ish environments means these 'costly' electric cars are less relatively costly. Their typically smaller size makes them easier to park. Charging infrastructure is easier to locate. Etc.
Is there really a case for range anxiety in America? Getting exact numbers seems to be difficult but here in California it's about 15 miles each way. Seems like even the cheaper vehicles could handle this with a weekly charge.
Like other kinds of anxiety, it may not be fully rational :)
But one reason I own a nice car is to effortlessly drive across the state and to distant states with the comfort, power, etc of a modern car. "Just rent a car for those longer journeys" becomes less compelling when it's more than a handful of times a year.
For my commute, I could just keep driving the same 15 year old car forever -- though the butt warmers and bluetooth and so on of newer cars is a "nice to have".
