Efthreeoh wroteYep, in Colorado. At noon, on a bright and sunny Sunday, on a surface street.I'm glad you were not severely injured in that accident. Just out of curiosity, I take it the accident happened in Colorado? My niece was in a similar accident in Denver, except from the rear rather than the side. My niece was hit by an unlicensed, uninsured, highly "medicated" driver who plowed into her at 70+ MPH and caused a 7-car chain reaction accident. My niece was in a Ford Escape and unfortunately at the start of the chain reaction (i.e. the first car hit). The vehicle in front of my niece was a truck; the collision put the rearend of the Escape all the up to the rear of the front seats and the front end collapsed all the way up to the windshield. The roof buckled downward and cut open her scalp and knocked her out. The EMTs told her later that they thought she was dead and did not know how she survived the collision.
Your story and my niece's accident remind me to not drive in the drug free zone that is now Colorado. If the asshat that hit you "didn't make it" all the better for him.
Car-Addicted wroteThe Iran/USA conflict and the impact on gas prices is a pretty recent thing. It will take time for any real movement back to EVs to show up in the numbers. And if the flow of petroleum products remains impeded through the Strait of Hormus.Hmmm The free market is speaking.
California’s BEV market share hit a four-year low in Q1 2026
Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales fell 40.2% year-on-year in California during Q1 2026, pushing the state’s zero-emission market share down to 13.7%, the lowest level since Q4 2021, according to new data from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA). Hybrid vehicles jumped ahead to claim a 20.9% share, while internal combustion engine (ICE) sales rose back to 61.1% from 54% a year earlier.
RockCrusher wroteI hear what you are saying, but what people dont realize is that electricity prices are going up just as much (and they NEVER ever go down), and then you have states (such as NJ recently) charging 5x for EV registration.It is an overreaction to be sure.
However, if one is faced with the need to replace a vehicle/get a new vehicle there is no harm in comparing the pure ICE to a hybrid to an EV and being informed make the right decision.
If it happens to be hybrid/EV and it happens to coincide with the increase in gasoline prices that could be fortuitous.
For one reason or another though over reaction to the gasoline price has to be near if not at the top of the list a good number of drivers/vehicle owners have made the switch so many in fact there is talk of a resurrection of the EV due to the not inconsequential increase in demand.
kilowatt88 wroteSome years back I worked on smart meters for electricity, natural gas, water and rationing was a thing from the start. I knew then they would have -- when they came into common use -- have pluses and minuses.I hear what you are saying, but what people dont realize is that electricity prices are going up just as much (and they NEVER ever go down), and then you have states (such as NJ recently) charging 5x for EV registration.
Add this to the overall higher EV cost and maintenance cost (Look this up in the real world, not what EV pushers are saying), you are saving nothing.
I would excerises an idea of the PHEV (Such as X5 e) just in case they decide to ration fuel (and remember with most people already having a "smart" meter, rationing electricity will be even easier (Dont believe me - look up at the capabilities of most smart meters, most people are completely clueless on this).
Just read in the news that they are ALREADY talking about rationing energy in places like Sweden and other EU countries.
zx10guy wroteIn most states, a significant amount of state fuel taxes go to road maintenance. EVs being heavier than similarly sized vehicles, they do impact road wear but don't otherwise contribute to maintenance. So states are looking for ways to make up this difference. Since many EV owners charge at home, point-of-sale EV charging taxes or surcharges on public chargers only make up so much of that deficit (we charge at home, so we never use public chargers). The easiest alternative is to add additional annual registration fees.In my money grab state, there has been talk of charging more for registering a EV AND if you have a car those crooks deem to be too fuel efficient. Just as has been mentioned, the crooks are realizing that revenue from gas taxes are in danger of going down in a significant manner with more EV adoption along with people buying more fuel efficient vehicles (ICE/hybrid).
BTB_6MT wroteI get why local governments are looking for ways to get EV owners to pay into the taxes that ICE drivers do via the gas tax. But crooks where I am brought up was to capture EV's road use, they threw in the their desire to have some sort of fee for those with fuel efficient vehicles which don't consume as much gas. The crooks here have bought into the green agenda but are now punishing those that are operating vehicles these idiots themselves were pushing the residents to purchase.In most states, a significant amount of state fuel taxes go to road maintenance. EVs being heavier than similarly sized vehicles, they do impact road wear but don't otherwise contribute to maintenance. So states are looking for ways to make up this difference. Since many EV owners charge at home, point-of-sale EV charging taxes or surcharges on public chargers only make up so much of that deficit (we charge at home, so we never use public chargers). The easiest alternative is to add additional annual registration fees.
Here in Colorado, our wide temp swings in winter plus snowplows means our roads degrade very fast. We don't get frost heaves like in Michigan and other northern tier states but rather the roads just...disintegrate. my city is just now starting to experiment with road resurfacing that ze Germans pioneered for ze Autobahn. It costs 2-3x to lay down, but is supposed to last at least that much longer. How that will impact road taxes is yet to be seen, but frankly if we can have roads that don't pothole so quickly so that I can enjoy my M2 without blowing tires, damaging wheels and suspension and without constant construction disrupting my driving enjoyment, that's a tax I'll gladly pay.
RockCrusher wroteThink you have nailed it. Humans are quite focused on best, worst, cheapest etc, where really a grid needs diversity of a multitude of energy sources for redundancy, unforeseen shortages and events.Some years back I worked on smart meters for electricity, natural gas, water and rationing was a thing from the start. I knew then they would have -- when they came into common use -- have pluses and minuses.
Also worked on automobile trip/data loggers and in particular for insurance companies. And I could see the good and bad...
I can't keep up 100% on what's going on in other states. I keep up on what's going in the state where I live. The climate (no pun...) here is EV friendly as best I can tell. No extra charge for EV registration. Electricity rates are reasonable here with natural gas (38%), coal (25%), and nuclear (25%) supplying the bulk of the electricity with hydroelectric making up the difference.
There has been zero mention of any rationing of electricity. I have not read of any plans to build electricity sucking black hole masquerading AI data centers here either. Yay!
Last but not least state taxes on gasoline/diesel here are reasonable.
A resident of any state needs to be aware of what current costs are and what extra costs may be in the pipeline (and are seldom not put into effect at some point) and thus make an informed decision on to EV or not to EV.
BTB_6MT wroteFor me the whole EV is heavier causes road damage is just BS. You are onto it however and its water, and water alone. I get blamed for wrecking the roads all the time with 20 wheels and 45T twisting and turning. However the road is fine until it rains, then the water very quickly exposes every weakness there is in that roads surface or its preparation. It also explains why roads go pear shape in rain where trucks don't go. The heavy EV is no more than an idea that makes sense to find a tax for new tech. Still they use the roads so should be paying their way.In most states, a significant amount of state fuel taxes go to road maintenance. EVs being heavier than similarly sized vehicles, they do impact road wear but don't otherwise contribute to maintenance. So states are looking for ways to make up this difference. Since many EV owners charge at home, point-of-sale EV charging taxes or surcharges on public chargers only make up so much of that deficit (we charge at home, so we never use public chargers). The easiest alternative is to add additional annual registration fees.
Here in Colorado, our wide temp swings in winter plus snowplows means our roads degrade very fast. We don't get frost heaves like in Michigan and other northern tier states but rather the roads just...disintegrate. my city is just now starting to experiment with road resurfacing that ze Germans pioneered for ze Autobahn. It costs 2-3x to lay down, but is supposed to last at least that much longer. How that will impact road taxes is yet to be seen, but frankly if we can have roads that don't pothole so quickly so that I can enjoy my M2 without blowing tires, damaging wheels and suspension and without constant construction disrupting my driving enjoyment, that's a tax I'll gladly pay.
Car-Addicted wrotesorry to burst your bubble but thanks to your president and secretary of war it's now gone the other wayHmmm The free market is speaking.
California’s BEV market share hit a four-year low in Q1 2026
Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales fell 40.2% year-on-year in California during Q1 2026, pushing the state’s zero-emission market share down to 13.7%, the lowest level since Q4 2021, according to new data from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA). Hybrid vehicles jumped ahead to claim a 20.9% share, while internal combustion engine (ICE) sales rose back to 61.1% from 54% a year earlier.
Car-Addicted wrotei think you will have to watch when the next quarter's data is released i'm afraid ....Live by China, Die by China
Global EV sales fall again in February
Global EV sales down 11% to just over 1 million
February sales down 32% in China, 35% in North America
Europe up 21%, rest of world up 78%
March 13 (Reuters) - Global EV registrations fell 11% in February, dragged by *China's largest sales drop since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, data by consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI) showed on Friday.
As governments worldwide hit the brake on policies designed to encourage purchases of electric cars, China has pulled funding for auto trade-ins, while a tax exemption on EV purchases in the country expired at the end of last year.
I think you will find EV sales and ESG trends parallel.
kilowatt88 wroteWhat people dont realize is that the ultimate intent by those really calling the shots is pay-per-mile taxes (easier with EV, but possible with any modern car that is always internet connected).
There is a reason why they mandate a kill switch on all new cars 2027+
afadeev wrotehttps://www.carscoops.com/2024/03/carmakers-are-snitching-on-you-and-selling-your-driving-data-to-insurers/..
Car-Addicted wroteI'm all in for Green vehicles
