ELECTRIC CAR SALES ARE SLOWING IN THE US AND EUROPE AS BOTH FANS AND SKEPTICS SHARE CONCERNS

While sales of electric vehicles surge in China, adoption of more environmentally friendly vehicles is stumbling in the United States and Europe as carmakers and governments struggle to meet years-old promises about affordability and charging stations.

Adding to those headwinds: an incoming new U.S. president who has disparaged government support for electric vehicles.

China is the exception. Driven by government subsidies and mandates, vehicles with electric motors, including plug-in hybrids that combine electric and fossil fuel motors, topped 50% of sales in the month of July.

Concerns about range, charging infrastructure and higher prices are sore points among both electric car enthusiasts and skeptics in Europe and the U.S.

Solar panels power charging at Detlef MuellerSalis’ home in Mainz, Germany, so he thought he was all set to go electric. But range concerns, charging times and confusing charging payment methods have proved frustrating.

So after four years, he and his wife sold their Porsche Taycan and Fiat 500 electrics and bought a BMW 5-Series and a Volkswagen Polo, both internal combustion.

The smaller Fiat could run 220 kilometers (136.70 miles) on a charge in summer and 180 in winter, he said, against the manufacturer’s specification of 320 kilometers. Constantly checking the battery before quick trips to visit grandchildren and elder parents grew annoying.

So did going on vacation with payment cards from five different charging plans. The Porsche took 30 minutes to charge instead of the 22 minutes advertised, not a huge difference but “not what the company promised,” said MuellerSalis, who is retired from a logistics company. Driving fast on the autobahn reduced range so that “you paid for it with charging time.”

Both retirees in their 70s, Ken and Roxanne Honeycutt mainly drive their used Kia Soul around their town near Oakland, California. They charge the EV, with a range of about 111 miles (179 kilometers), in their garage and don’t rely much on public infrastructure. But for longer trips they have to plan fast charging stops ahead of time.