The great EV debate: Americans reveal what they REALLY think of their electric cars as more and more reject White House drive to go green… So, whose side are YOU on?
- Biden's EV push has been plunged into chaos amid backlash from US motorists
- Tesla sales are plunging while other automakers row back investment in EVs
- DailyMail.com asked readers to share their honest opinions about their eco-cars
For years they have been sold to motorists as a glimpse into the future. But is the EV revolution over before it ever really began?
The headlines certainly aren't promising. Tesla shocked analysts last month when it announced sales had dropped for the first time since the height of the pandemic in 2020.
So far this year Apple has killed its decade-long project to create its own EV while Ford is slashing production of its electric pickup. Meanwhile General Motors wants to bring back its plug-in hybrid rather than go fully electric.
Yet amid all the gloomy sales reports, there is a growing army of die-hard EV enthusiasts who insist they will never return to their old gas-guzzling ways.
DailyMail.com asked its readers to give their honest, unfiltered opinions about their experience with their electric cars - and were inundated with strong opinions on both sides of the debate.
David and Lisa Brundage (both pictured) say their Tesla saves them around $400 a month on gas
Tesla shocked analysts last month when it announced sales had dropped for the first time since the height of the pandemic in 2020
While EV-converts insist the cars are fun to drive and cost-effective, skeptics said the upfront prices were too high while America's lack of charging infrastructure made long trips impossible.
David Brundage, 55, has had his Tesla Model Y for just eight weeks but already he knows he will never go back to his gas car.
The travel agent, who lives just outside Orlando, FL, paid $38,000 for the car - when factoring in the $7,500 federal electric vehicle tax credit he received on the purchase.
But he estimates it saves him and his wife Lisa, 55, $400 per month on gas as he charges the car at home using energy from the solar panels he had installed around a year ago.
David, a father-of-three, told DailyMail.com: 'We will never go back to a gasoline car now - it just doesn't make economic sense.
'We have already taken our Tesla on a 1,000-mile road trip and the charging infrastructure was excellent. We averaged a stop every two and a half miles and our longest stop was just 17 minutes.
He added the car was 'fun to drive' and even out-accelerates his old Ford Mustang.
His opinion is at-odds with fellow motorist Michael Woods who was forced to sell his Audi e-tron four months after buying it - at around a $20,000 loss.
Woods runs his own oil and gas exploration company but is always looking for ways to reduce his energy consumption, having completed a master's degree in environmental science.
But long trips between his offices in Dallas and Shreveport left him with 'range anxiety' - a term EV drivers use to describe the worry they will feel their battery will run out before they reach a charging point.
He said: 'It's a 220-mile roundtrip and there are no charging stations on that journey.
'The charging infrastructure just isn't good enough. I think in areas like California it's better but most of America doesn't have enough chargers.
'If you're just using it to run around town, it's a fine car but if you're using it as you're only vehicle - and don't have another gas car to rely on - it doesn't work.
'You can see in the car dealerships that EVs are piling up because nobody wants them. It's a shame because I really wanted to love mine.'
Michael Woods (pictured) was forced to sell his Audi e-tron four months after buying it - at around a $20,000 loss
Matt Spease bought a grey Tesla Model Y Long Range for around $54,000 back in 2022 with a plan to flip it and make a profit. Pictured: Spease (bottom right) with his brother and two nephews
For Matt Spease, buying an electric car was only ever supposed to be about making money.
Spease, 52, bought a grey Tesla Model Y Long Range for around $54,000 back in 2022 with a plan to flip it and make a profit.
However, to his surprise, he found he enjoyed driving the car too much to part ways.
The business owner, who lives just outside Detroit, MI, told DailyMail.com: 'The car has some quirks, the automatic wiper blades are a joke and the autopilot has some odd reactions from time to time.
'But in my 36 years of being a driver, it's the best car I've ever driven. I drive 120 miles a day, I did some basic math and I realized it's cheaper to keep it.
'Somebody needs to counter all the negative campaigns about EVs, it's not just about the environment, it's about giving people a choice and making them realize they're better cars that do a great job of getting from point A to B.'
