Have Automakers Been Stuck on Stupid with their EV Charging Strategy?
Stuck on stupid: A colloquial expression used to describe a person seemingly unable to learn from mistakes or adapt their behavior.
While reading the latest newsletter by Steve LeVine in The Information, it reminded me of the phrase, “stuck on stupid.” LeVine describes how automakers are facing a different reality in 2024 regarding tepid demand for the various EVs being developed. LeVine believes a major reason for the slowing demand is that EV buyers want a reliable and readily available way to charge before they can consider buying an EV. I agree!
Yet, legacy automakers have remained “stuck on stupid,” believing that charging infrastructure would magically appear without major investment on their part.
In 2019, I attended a conference where Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak stated that the charging infrastructure actually is more important than the electric car (At the time Wozniak owned a Tesla Model S and a Chevy Bolt. While enjoying his Bolt as a daily driver, he lamented that it was almost impossible to take it on a road trip.).
Imagine owning a non-Tesla EV and not being able to charge daily at home because you live in an apartment or in an urban area. Tesla considered this problem. Other automakers ignored it. They were stuck on stupid, satisfied with incremental changes in their business while unknowingly being disrupted.
Now, many of these automakers soon will begin having their customers using the Tesla Supercharging network, and incorporating the Tesla charging plug into their vehicles.
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