The dream of US cars going electric has slowed down, according to some videos I found. Trump's removal of subsidies has a big effect and consumer demand is soft, especially without the incentives. Some car companies are pivoting back to gasoline.
I think batteries are the costliest part of transitioning to electric. China does things cheaper, but not in the US.
Portable batteries, that provide the huge amount of power needed to drive a car, must be a difficult technology, so far. Lithium ion batteries are affordable for small uses like phones.
The electric motor, itself, seems okay. Less moving parts than an internal combustion engine. It must be the battery that's difficult as well as having Trump in office.
I'm more a fan of alternative transit than automobiles anyway. Electrification doesn't reduce traffic congestion, pollution from tires, space needed for parking, sprawl and accidents. The self driving car might be able to help with these other things; except maybe tire pollution. Technology comes to the rescue.
Since the battery seems to be the hardest technical part in electrification, I still think about Seattle's electric trolly buses that run from the overhead wires. That bypasses the need for a battery.
Maybe that's one reason why hybrid car sales are still strong. The drive motors for the wheels are easy and the battery can be much smaller. Energy still comes from a gas motor, though it can be smaller than in earlier car technology.
I may not be a car expert, but I think about science and technical things a lot.
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