EV and internal combustion engine (ICE) inventory started the year off at about 52 days’ supply, according to Cox Automotive. Days’ supply is a way of measuring how many vehicles a dealer has on the lot. In the case of a 52 days’ supply, if automakers were to stop producing cars today, dealers would be able to keep selling cars for about that number of days before running out.
Since January, EV days’ supply has skyrocketed while ICE supplies have hovered between 52 and 58 days. EV supply at the start of October was 97 days, down from the peak inventory of around 111 days during early July.
I wonder how they are measuring “EV supply”? Is it total number EVs on lots divided by estimated total number of EV sales in 2023 expressed daily? Or is it total EVs on lots divided by (total 2023 EV sales - total Tesla sales) because Tesla doesn’t have traditional dealers?
Right now, I can’t imagine anyone buying a non-NACS-compatible EV when almost all automakers have said NACS is coming in 24/25. That is, nobody will buy unless they are offered a substantial discount.
I’m in that camp. And I’m sure many others are. Why buy a Mach-E or a Lyric today with a CCS port? There is an Osbourne Effect happening here and I’m surprised the media can’t see that.
If you’re gonna make a big change, you better be 90% through making that change and ready to ship new units before announcing it to the public. Otherwise, you’re going to get stuck with a lot of $1795 paperweights.
What’s the cost of a CCS/Tesla port adapter? Amazon has one for $70. Or are there additional expensive modifications you need to make for the adapter plug to work?
If a large portion of the car buying public are avoiding EVs for the want of a $70 adapter plug, you may be able to strike a good deal on a car with the old technology.
I’ve often wondered the same. Apparently the automakers that currently have CCS need to change* something in their design (INSIDE the car) to make that adapter work with a NACS plug. That’s only for level 3 charging (DCFC). For level 2 charging, a standard adapter works fine, I have a J1772-to-NACS adapter in one of my EVs and I have a NACS-to-J1772 adapter in the other EV.
* Most automakers switching to NACS have said they will make their cars compatible with the adapter some time in 2024, and will have native NACS capability in their 2025 models. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some automakers slip their original schedule (as often happens).
That’s my understanding. If I had an EV, 99% of my charging would be done in my garage with a Level 2 charger. But maybe I’d feel differently if I was taking a lot of longer road trips where Level 3 capability would be nice to have.
Yes, this is the case for almost everyone that has an EV and has a garage. After all, much better to pay $0.15/kWh at home overnight than to pay $0.36-$0.55/kWh at a nearby DCFC (DC Fast Charger). The only times I use DCFC (usually Tesla Superchargers) is while on a long road trip, and I don’t have time for slower level 2 charging. Though, even on long road trips, I will avail myself of level 2 chargers whenever possible. Last long road trip included some time in north Georgia and I charged at malls, at Top Golf, at the library, and IIRC once at a movie theater. I also charged at a relatives house using an extension cord plugged into their dryer outlet. And, of course, I searched for hotels that have chargers and used them whenever they were available.
I’m looking at that. If I can’t snag a free Biden IRA rebate to give me a 200 amp electrical panel, I may just run an armoured 220V cable from the dryer, through the attic and drop it into the garage, and then just unplug the charger for the 2 hours per month I’m using the dryer.
I suspect “the cost” is having to finagle a dongle every time you want to charge. So you get to search around in the trunk, or maybe frunk, or maybe back seat if your kid used it last, then plug that in, then plug that into the charging station, then reverse the process when you’re all done.
It’s amazing how adding an extra frictional step can disincentivize people. See:
Cruisers navigating the seven seas have the connection problem to a much higher degree, One phase, two phase, three phase, 120V, 220V, and numerous types of connectors. I have yet to meet a sailor who stopped sailing because of the plethora of connectors.
Perhaps - but I’ve bet you’ve met lots of people who don’t take cruises.
Goofy’s point is well taken. If you want to expand EV adoption beyond the people who were eager, excited, and willing to be early adopters - and into the people who are hesitant and skeptical of EV’s - then you’ll want to reduce friction points that make them uncomfortable. Dongles, adapters, and converters are friction points.
This is the reason everyone is switching to NACS! Because you plug it in and it starts charging. That’s it. No screens, no clicks, no cards, no nothing. Heck Tesla superchargers don’t even have screens or buttons at all.
(Sadly, I’m pretty sure that some providers of NACS charging will mess their system up and require all sorts of stuff before charging actually happens. If you can get it to work properly at all.)
New Polestar vehicles sold in North America will come standard with the Tesla-designed North American Charging Standard, or NACS, plug starting in 2025. Owners of existing Polestars will be able to charge at Tesla’s Supercharger stations with an adapter starting in mid-2024.
Of course adapters already exist so I take from that they need to do something software related to make it work correctly at the Superchargers.
Edit: More supporting that it is a software issue (might even just be a licensing issue???):
What does the switch in charging standards for some brands mean for existing EV drivers? It’s actually good news. Starting in 2024, the purchase of a simple adapter should give EV drivers even more choice when it comes to high-speed charging – if you own a vehicle from one of the brands listed above, you’ll have access to way more chargers next year than you do now.
One would think if it required physical maintenance, such would be mentioned somewhere.
Not really. I’d have one dongle in the frunk of the EV for the occasional time I charged the car on the road, and I’d keep another permanently attached to the charger plug in the garage.
That wouldn’t be necessary. For the garage., buy a charger that has the native connector appropriate for your vehicle. And for the glove box/frunk/center console, put the adapter for use while on the go. I have a J1772-to-NACS adapter in my Tesla center console, and I have a NACS-to-J1772 adapter in my Nissan glovebox. The Nissan very rarely charges at home since the person who uses it commutes and has a few chargers at the office parking lot.
Maybe. But for YOU, it won’t matter. You could put NACS in, then use NACS-to-CCS converter for the 7-9 years that you own the car, and then in 10 years when you decide to move to a retirement village, and you plan on selling the house with the “standard” NACS … and lo and behold, the new standard is NACS2 at that point. Instead may as well just put in what you need, and will need, for the duration of owning the vehicle, and enjoy the convenience (lack of adapter) for those 7-9 years. A better choice IMO would be to simply buy a NACS car (only Tesla for now), install a NACS charger, and that’s it.
Of course sailors are not just ‘people.’