In the wake of Hertz reversing course on their plan to replace a portion of their fleet with electric vehicles, Newell Normand asked why EVs have seemed to stall in their adoption rate by the general public.
Economic expert Guy Williams, president of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust, said it’s a two-fold issue, but a big sticking point is a lack of familiarity and infrastructure available for the cars.
Williams cited more expensive repair costs and a lack of charging stations as reasons why EVs have been slow to take a bigger piece of the automotive marketplace.
“You have to take special training to repair EVs,” Williams said. “The battery is part of the frame, and it is extremely critical that it not be disturbed when doing repairs.”
Doing so could result in a fire that can’t be extinguished with water, Williams said, meaning body shops need special certifications to work on electric vehicles.
“And that all costs money,” Williams said. “And there’s not enough demand yet.”
Williams also said that, for better or worse and likely to the chagrin of auto manufacturers, sales of EVs seem to break down along political lines, with significant portions of sales occurring in left-leaning states while right-wingers seem to wear their loyalty to gas-powered cars like a badge of honor.
You can hear the full conversation by clicking the link above.
