Here come the EVs- 2022 tipping point?
Hope you like crossovers
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The Washington, DC Auto Show comes to an end Sunday. The pandemic has shrunk the show. A number of carmakers didn’t even attend. I saw plenty of new vehicles during my visit this week. The number of Electric Vehicles (EVs) seemed to be the highest ever.
Updated version of GM Bolt on display at the Washington Auto Show.
The carmakers are trying to convince drivers the wave of EVs is coming and they aren’t like the first-generation electric cars. Attendees could get a taste of the ride and acceleration of the new EVS by signing up to drive around the streets of DC.
TIPPING POINT
The auto show could look much different next year. The pandemic may be endemic by then and there should be a much higher percentage of EVs on display. That’s because many believe this year will be the “tipping point” for battery powered vehicles.
That’s the language of Bank of America analysts who say 2022, "marks the start of commercialization for electric vehicles ... with many of start-up EV automakers launching/ramping new product and many of the incumbent automakers also beginning their product launch onslaught.”
Consumers will see at least a dozen and a half new EV models go on sale this year. Global sales are predicted to increase more than 60%. Axios took data from several sources, including BloombergNEF, to create a chart showing that sales of 6.5 million last year are expected to jump to 10.5 million vehicles this year. China continues to lead the world in the number of vehicles sold.
COMING WAVE
The real avalanche of EVs arrives in the second half of the decade. According to IHS Markit, sales of electric vehicles will increase 20 points between 2025 and 2030, close to equaling the dropping sales of internal combustion cars.
Hyundai’s Ionic 5 was on hand, but many of the new models coming this year were not at the show. Mercedes, BMW, and Audi, which are bringing cars to market, didn’t have a presence in Washington.
I did see a couple models that will arrive next year. Toyota recently increased its commitment to EVs and was showing off its new BZ4X. The successful Mach-E, which came out last year, looked just like another part of the Ford lineup in its spot at the carmaker’s display.
As the pictures and of the links show, there are plenty of crossovers coming to market as EVs. Crossovers are the new sedans, already dominating the internal combustion market, and will do the same in electric vehicles.
Audi Q4 Etron and the BMW I4
TRUCKS!
Trucks remain a lucrative market for carmakers. While Ford is getting to market first with its electric F-150 this year, GM was showing off its answer, the Silverado, which will arrive in showrooms next year.
One sign of the coming changes was the Electric Pavilion at the show sponsored by the charging company Electrify America. This was a spot set aside just for electric vehicles and the growing infrastructure.
There are still issues with that charging infrastructure, and affordable vehicle price points for many consumers. Bloomberg put together a chart of some of the cars arriving this year. All of them will travel 200 miles or more on a charge.
The auto industry insists prices will come down as production reaches scale and more modest vehicles are introduced.
I am already looking forward to next year’s auto show.
(Cover image credit: Getty Images)