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09/13/2019
'Tipping Point' Is Near For Electric Vehicles
Source: Tire Business
Mr. Fischer told Automotive News at the 2019 CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse Cityh that Volkswagen's $50 billion global electric push will bring new scale to EV production, pushing down costs to a point where they reach parity with internal combustion powered vehicles.
"I don't think it's going to take a lot of convincing," Mr. Fischer said. "There is a fundamental curiosity. Everybody sees the end state.
"When you put pencil to paper, owning a full-electric vehicle costs about half of what a gas car costs me to operate."
But in recent VW brand focus groups, held in anticipation of the launch of planned battery EVs, the company found more problems that it must overcome with consumers.
"There is still a fear about driving electric cars through water," Mr. Fischer said. "For 50 years, we've educated people that electricity and water don't mix."
Another problem: "Range anxiety has now been replaced by charging anxiety," Mr. Fischer said. But he said history shows that this problem will pass.