Lol, old dude told me a while ago, what was it... 30 year rule? What was in style then goes out of style then comes back in like 30 years. I think this is like the third time it's coming back, but yeah I agree not the most flattering color since it washes away alot of the details. I don't mind the shade or tone of the color, but it needs metallic imo.

I disagree though in that some cars look good/decent in it, but to your point they almost always look better in another color, like a traditional silver.

 

First car I had any interest in where this was one of the colors was the Focus RS. Hated that color. Another color offered on that car was that awful Smurf Blue which is yet another color, like you referenced, being offered on everything now. I don’t understand it either but people must like it or they would avoid it like the plague and it would go away.

 

I have to believe that when someone gets hired at Honda they are given some rules.
One rule at the top of the list must be, there is little differentiation between Honda and Acura, particularly in the non-truck products. Therefore, you shall never ask why can't I put AWD on a Civic or an Accord. Thus we never see such a Honda product, even though Toyota will provide a few AWD Matrix and then Camry autos and of course the GR Corolla/Varis.

 

Well considering how people are eating up the ctr, why bother.

 

CTR is a niche toy (we like them but not a car for all drivers)
Honda is a volume first mobility shop
An AWD Hybrid Accord would be an excellent offering
Investors Business Daily did a nice piece on Hybrids growing in the US market, noting eCars having a challenging time
And Toyota will be making the AWD flavor readily available
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a4...amry-revealed/

 

Yeah, while I definitely see the many aspects where EVs are superior to ICE, in the current reality and at least in the short term, the practical applications as it rolls out to the masses has it challenges. In denser urban environments which is really where EVs are needed, the charging aspect is a challenge since alot of people do not have a designated parking spot let alone able to add a charger. EV charging stations are plentiful, but that's one more errand made worse by the length of time for charging. I've already seen some uncomfortable interactions with people at my local supermarket charging station which is largely unused, but like everything else in the world everyone wants to use it at the same time. And then in more rural areas, the range aspect and lack of chargers are an issue. The unknown of being caught in a storm that leaves you parked ont he side of the road for potentially hours is a real threat, sure it may happen once every couple of years, but the idea of being stuck in your car in sub zero temps for hours on end with no heat, let alone with your family, is usually enough to deter most people. Then again, most people also don't keep their gas tanks full like they should in those areas.

So really, EVs are viable for the middle to upper class suburbanites, many of which have the option of buying luxury cars or high dollar SUVs, and I think the EV market has penetrated that market and is now losing steam from the growth aspect. Without further government intervention, that adoption of EVs will likely slow imo.

Because it is interesting that an 80k+ useless truck is sold out for years, but you can walk pretty much walk into any Nissan dealer and buy a leaf, or Toyota EV, etc etc.

Toyota I believe got it right with hybrids, in that for the amount of battery one EV takes, they can make a few/several hybrids, that will fit the majority fo the consumers' needs for at least the next decade. Add in plug in hybrids and it pretty much renders EVs to a luxury/niche item, at least until there are enough charging stations and charging times can be cut down to less than 5 minutes to gain 300 miles of real range.

I visited a friend in the Sacramento area which is suburban universe, and I was amazed to see how many cars are still parked on the street (probably because families cramming in together to afford to live even there). Every new development is a mix of single family homes but usually has at least twice as many multi family units. As desirable areas continue to stay desirable, I don't see that trend changing, granted though that these newer developments are required to having charging capabilities, but oftentimes you only get one garaged/dedicated parking spot.

 

In terms of critical minerals, 1 EV = 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) = 90 (!) hybrid ICE vehicles (not plug-in)



PHEVs provide a 90% base case solution (ie, 90% of us would use them as EVs for our daily use, without requiring the ICE to fire up) at a fraction of the cost and mineral usage of a full-blown EV. Note their comment that the 90 hybrids have a 37x higher reduction in GHGs than making 1 EV!! Standard hybrids aren't nearly as efficient in terms of power usage or reduced emissions but they are still 20-40% better than their ICE counterparts. Both vehicles are way more responsible uses of our minerals and energy right now. A standard hybrid only costs about $2000 more than a pure ICE vehicle these days, as the technology improvements and scale-up have significantly reduced their cost, and will probably be widely implemented across industry. Toyota will offer a hybrid option on every vehicle by the end of this year, I believe, including AWD options on cars that always used to be FWD (new Camry, Corolla, etc).

 

Thanks for this powerful illustration JonBoy
One of my San Diego based co-workers got a BMW X5 PHEV last year
For her commute and errand patterns, she says it almost never burns any gas and it's a nice vehicle with plenty of room and tech
And when she wants to visit her family in LA, no range anxiety

 

I don't know how far I would go down that point
People burn a lot of carbon and extreme weather is more of a norm that when I was a kid (and I am nearing 66)
Finding ways to not burn carbon for getting around is a good idea
Not saying eCars are an ideal answer at the moment even though my Lucid is a lovely way to get around

 

Vehicle innovation is always welcome, and the E-Ray is an interesting design study (though not my cup of tea). But with more choices, everyone wins!