„Es ist dumm“: Warum der Rückzug westlicher Automobilhersteller von der Elektromobilität das Risiko birgt, sie zur Bedeutungslosigkeit zu verurteilen
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/21/west-carmakers-retreat-electric-vehicle-risks-irrelevance-iran-war-evs-china
19 Kommentare
Manufacturers are still adding up the tens of billions of unsustainable losses. Where’s all the scrilla gonna come from? Not from wounded automakers. How about from governments already awash in red ink? Doubtful, and like the song says, these automakers won’t get fooled again.
**IF** they even recognize the problem, they’ll probably react to it the same way they did in the 80’s – creating absolutely craptacular cars that meet the absolute minimum requirements and still whine for government subsidies. Case in point: when is the last time you saw a small American economy car from the 80’s on the road? I bet everything I have that you can’t remember AND that you’ve see a Japanese one recently.
Without the availability of electric vehicle charging stations, rare earth batteries from China, and the threat of ever-changing tariffs policy, why would these companies want to take a risk?
Most western consumers don’t want to take a risk either. BYD best selling point is that it is cheap enough to make people want to take a risk.
Chinese EV companies are presumably state-sponsored, playing to Chinese industry strength of having rare earth and battery technology along with suitable city environment. It was more new companies taking risks and old companies being hard to retool.
China has shown it’s not a fad. If they don’t invest now they are going to lose out in the long term and they are dumb and out of touch with reality if they think otherwise. If anything, this whole Iran fiasco Trump caused shows why EV is the future
cool so were speedrunning the future at this point
Because they know that we will pay for the infrastructure.
The best EV’s in the world are made in China. Our idiotic, short-sighted, and bean counter driven car makers suffer from collective stupidity. It’s hard to even tell one make from another anymore. I would love a large, comfortable, roomy electric sedan with 635 mile range but the US government won’t let us import Chinese cars and American makers are so far behind they’re a joke.
Personally, I believe certain industries companies promoted and got the „right“ man in US Executive office who would listen to their persuasion to kill E car, those certain industries is big oil. E-car was biggest threat along with environmental protections. Since these industries don’t give damn if their or anyone else kids and their descendants die sooner, than later. As long they and their investors secure source of money and power **now**.
Step 1: American manufacturers ignore a global trend in auto design because implementing it would be expensive
Step 2: Rather than compete, they lobby Congress to protect their market share artificially
Step 3: Market share falls anyway because Congress can only do so much
Step 4: Companies suffer, require enormous bailout
Step 5: Bailout is granted. Cycle restarts itself
The US auto industry has been doing this shit for decades now. It’s electric cars now, just like it was fuel efficient ones back in the 2000s, and more compact ones in the 80s.
Eh, Trumpmoney will probably save them. Didn’t he say „drill baby drill“ or something? Eeeehhhh they’ll be fine! /s
They do be dreaming. Most CEOs are far, far removed from reality at this point. The realization will be interesting, and probably too late.
Is it because they’re for-profit companies that aren’t commanded or subsidized by a large government?
Mid 70s fuel efficient cars sucked serious ass. Big time. They were garbage. But the best thing about EVs is they are actually far better and more fun and quicker and pleasurable in potentially every way then their combustion engines competitors. With one exception: refueling infrastructure and (for new players) service — but even that’s a minimal issue given things last longer in electric vehicles that don’t use explosions and oil based lubrications to limit engine part stresses. So we have now an exceptional opportunity on our hands to retool our systems with the intelligent assistance of public infrastructure funding to take advantage of this marvelous advancement. But the stupidity and shortsightedness of the bell curve part of the American public will not see it until it’s too late.
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>The problem is that western manufacturers are doing exactly that, having wiped tens of billions of expected returns from previous EV investment off their books as profits on electric cars remained far below those on petrol and diesel.
People don’t seem to understand this. The ONLY reason western manufacturers aren’t going full EV is because they can’t turn a profit while doing it. Consumers won’t buy the cars and the government isn’t making them easier to make. The Chinese companies can because China has dumped billions into forcing their EV market into existence. They literally make it easier to buy an EV and harder to register an ICE vehicle.
The west has not gone that far and so its not surprising that western companies are being replaced. This is what happens when ignorant politicians make laws about things they know nothing about.
Western companies don’t innovate anymore because that requires investments without guarantees of return.
But my magat brother-in-law told me EVs suck because you can’t go on long trips. I did a 150 mile round trip skiing on $5.50 in electricity last week. He is probably over $100 a week now in his lifted Jeep. He may be a mechanic but I really don’t take his car advice too seriously.
Can’t blame them if the government doesn’t invest in infrastructure
I mean, if people aren’t buying them, they’re not going to keep making them
And oil will drop as quickly. Knee jerk article