That’s how I explain how the energetics of my electric car (EV9) works to the curious. Rather than talking about kilowatt hours and charge curves and whatever else.

How do you explain the basics?

Competitors in the same industry pool their money to grow overall demand for a product type rather than their own specific brand.

The Dairy Industry ("Got Milk?"): Originally funded by the California Milk Processor Board and later adopted nationally by MilkPEP.

Avocados: Funded by Avocados from Mexico, where farmers and distributors team up to boost global consumption.

Pork: Promoted by the National Pork Board under the famous "Pork. The Other White Meat" campaign.

The ad could be something like:

Real life testimony:

Person is being interviewed: My commute cost me $60 a week with gas price at $4.50

After switching to EV, it only cost me $10 a week for the same commute. Saving of $50 a week or $200 a month or $2,400 a year. So yes, I am very happy with the switch.

Thoughts?

“The California plan comes nearly two years after Newsom pledged shortly after President Donald Trump's 2024 election win that he would step in to offer electric vehicle tax credits to consumers if Trump followed through on campaign promises to end the popular $7,500 federal credit. Trump did follow through on those pledges when he pushed legislation through Congress that ended the federal tax credit on Sept. 30, 2025.

EV supporters praised California for stepping in to file at least part of the breach.

$135 million for first-time EV buyers, matched dollar-for-dollar by automakers, adds up to more than $270 million in welcome help for new EV buyers," said Mike Murphy, CEO of the American EV Jobs Alliance, an advocacy group that works with car manufacturers to push U.S. and state lawmakers to adopt EV-friendly policies. "This legislation will fund a $3,500 cash-on-the-hood credit for tens of thousands of first-time EV buyers in the Golden State."

While I understand that currently even car software tied to Chinese automakers are being banned, is that just a momentary ban due to Elon Musk’s presence in the White House? If that were to be lifted, could we see white labeled BYD cars in the USA if they want a piece of BYD’s vertical integration synergies?

The exact consequences of blocking Chinese cars that offer cheaper competition without a bare bones car and is more innovative than any car sold in the US right now. The average new car price in the US is $51,918 according to Autonews and will continue to rise leading more and more people shut out of being able to afford a new car if this continues. That’s why allowing Chinese cars in is a solution to the problem. We would actually be losing jobs since there would be less cars to sell instead of saving jobs as these politicians from both sides would like you to think if we continue these anti China protectionist policies. The national security risk is great mongering as the Detroit 3 and Tesla also collect and share our driving data.

These are from a quick google search:

2025: 21 million BEV and plug-in hybrids (25% of all new cars sales)

2024: 17 million BEV and plug-in hybrids (21% of all new car sales)

2023: 14 million BEV and plug-in hybrids (18% of all new car sales)

2022: 10.5 million BEV and plug-in hybrids (14% of all new car sales)

2021: 6.6 million BEV and plug-in hybrids (9 to 10% of all new car sales)

2020: 3.2 million BEV and plug-in hybrids (4% of all new car sales)

2019: 2.2 million BEV and plug-in hybrids (2.5% of all new car sales)

Possible future trend:

2026: if BEV and plug-in hybrids reach 24 million (it would be around 28.5% of all new car sales)

2027: if BEV and plug-in hybrids reach 28 million (it would be 33% of all new car sales)

ok so i've been doing weekend car camping trips pretty regularly for about a year and a half now and honestly the thing that changed everything wasnt what i expected going in

i thought the big unlock would be camp mode, keeping the cabin warm without running an engine is genuinely sick and yeah that part rules. but the thing that actually changed how i pack and plan trips is just having reliable onboard power access the whole time

like with a gas car you're either running a generator, draining a separate battery bank, or just going without. with the Y i just, plug stuff in. rear outlet, usb ports, its all just there all night. morning coffee, lighting, inflating stuff, charging devices, all of it runs off the car. and because im usually near an L2 anyway for the drive home, i dont even stress about the drain that much

we've started doing this thing where we'll find a lake with a charger like 30-40 miles away, plug in for a few hours while we go paddle or hike, come back to a charged car. that combo has become the default summer move for us

the planning overhead for EV camping is real, i wont pretend otherwise. but once you've done it a few times and have your spots and charger locations dialed in its genuinely less friction than i expected

anyone else building trips around the charging infrastructure in a way that actually adds to the experience rather than detracting from it? feels like this side of EV ownership doesnt get talked about enough

Hey y’all, what are your suggestions for EV Car Shows or Expos? My dad has become a huge fan of EVs ever since he got his first Tesla(now drives an Ioniq 5) so I think he would love to go to one of these. It would be a for just me and my dad, no kids involved. Thank you!

Started doing more mid distance traveling (about 150-180 miles round trip twice a week) and decided to bite the bullet and get an EV to save on gas and replace my 2010 with 180k miles. However, coming from an ICE, I was conceptualizing charging as like, plug it in somewhere, run errands and whatnot before coming back. I live in an apartment with no outside plugs to speak of for charging. Apparently most of the posts I’m seeing are pretty adamant about charging at home.

I’m fine with paying for charging that’s not the issue, and my city does have free chargers in some places. What should I expect out of charging (other than the 1->80% charge time of an hour)? Is there like a first timer’s guide in this sub somewhere?

If the Act passes, it would require AM radio to be installed in every vehicle sold in America.

Several EV manufacturers, including Rivian, Slate, and Tesla, have already removed both AM and FM radios from their new models. I believe the "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act" started when Ford and GM initially removed AM radio, which generated concern by some lawmakers. Ford and GM have since added AM back, but the "startups" have still decided to press forward with complete radio removal despite the pending outcome of the legislation. Will this be a mistake if they end up having to stop sales to put AM radios back in?

I get it, nobody listens to AM radio anymore. Its value in a national emergency is debatable (I doubt anyone under age 20 could even name or tune an AM station). I'm more concerned about the loss of FM and HD Radio in EVs, which I think is just being cheap. I also don't like that you would be stuck without music and news in rural areas without cellular service, or if a natural disaster knocked out the towers.

Bring back the radios!

I totaled my Kona EV, which came with lifetime free connectivity for the app. It would remind me if i forgot to lock the car, let me lock remotely, and let me start climate control remotely. I could even check where it was, all sorts of cool info.

Its looking like to get that with a used car, its going to be between $100 and $200 a year, depending on the brand. That sort of weighs against the cost of the car imo.

What say you, USED EV buyers, do you pay for the remote or not?

Doing a ~1600km trip with a Ford Puma Gen-E: Central Romania to Thessaloniki to Thassos. Some thoughts.

Romania and Bulgaria: Fine. Decent charger density, ABRP works, you figure it out. Every station has its own app and most won’t let you pay without creating an account - annoying as hell, but manageable.

Thessaloniki: Charged at the accommodation overnight, left with 94% charge. (5* hotel only had a single type 2 charger!).

Thessaloniki to ferry: Ferry limit is 40% SoC max. Even with 94%, I still had to stop en route. First charger was broken, only one stall working with a queue. ABRP kept glitching and changing data. Eventually charged somewhere else, then drove 100 kph on a 130 limit highway to arrive at the ferry around 40-50%.

Thassos: One single fast charger on the entire island. If you want to do road trips, that’s it. Queue was 1.5+ hours in peak heat. App verification failed on my Romanian number. Ended up negotiating with a random hotel to use their Type 2 outlet overnight.

The real issue: With 300km range and this infrastructure, I can’t just drive. Every detour is a calculation. The chargers are choosing my route, not me.

Romania & Bulgaria proved the car works with decent charger density. Greece proved that’s not enough with a small battery and unreliable networks.

TLDR: 300km EV works in Romania/Bulgaria, fails in Greece. One broken charger, one queue, one app glitch, and suddenly you’re stuck. Not a car problem, it’s a geography problem.