IF YOU HAVE TO PAY PEOPLE TO BUY SOMETHING AND THEY STILL WON’T…:EVs are Big in Colorado; But Are They Really?

As of Apr 1, Colorado has 51,645 EVs. With total state vehicle registrations near 2 million for the state, that’s approaching 3%. Keep in mind, though, that even in 2016, 17,155 EVs in Colorado were publicly owned: many were bought by the government. That’s about one-third of all EVs. As an artificial indication of widespread popularity, that shows a problem.

EVs can curb carbon pollution output. The level of cost, the level of planning, the level of extensive, highly detailed legislation, and public lobbying involved are not matching the public’s interest. Even the Colorado Sun noted as much. “These things won’t sell themselves, according to a new series of public-private partnerships that say retiring gas vehicles to stop climate change can’t be left to the free market.”

Conservation is impossible without trade-offs. Apocalyptic climate predictions and changes in temperature have long been leveraged as ways to end the debate over trade-offs. That strategy’s effectiveness has been mixed. Looking closely at EVs, at Colorado drivers’ needs, the state’s weather, and the real-world money calculus, electric cars are a hard sell. Most citizens are, with reason, not springing for an electric vehicle even with a slightly better local infrastructure to support it.

Lots of hard data in this article. Worth your time.