According to recent reports, car dealers are informing auto manu facturers that they have too many electric vehicles on their lots and are dialing back orders until their current inventory is soId. Scott Kunes, Chief Operating Officer at Kunes Auto and RV Group, explained that his company is turning away additional EV inventory.
“We have turned away EV inventory. We need to ensure that we have a good turn on it,” he said, as reported on Business Insider. Kunes said that automakers are “asking us to make a Iarge investment….and we’re just wanting to see some return on that.”
Sam Fiorani, Vice President of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, outlined how EVs aren’t practical for many Americans as they would have to alter their lifestyle when switching from a gas-powered car. “It’s not just that these vehicles are expensive — which they are. We’re talking about a much more nuanced Iifestyle change,” said Fiorani. EVs obviously have a more constrained range than gas-powered vehicles, and charging stations can be sparsely located.
EVs are also notably more expensive than traditional combustion engine-based cars. According to Consumer Reports, the average sale price of an EV is over $61,000, or $12,000 more expensive than the overall average in the auto industry. “It’s hard for the average customer to make that leap while spending an extra $10,000,” Fiorani continued.
Electric vehicle horror stories have also plagued the news, where consumers share personaI anecdotes of the dysfunctionality of these cars. Recently, a Ford F-150 Lightning owner was forced to ditch his EV on a road trip from Winnipeg to Chicago.
The all-electric Ford pickup retails for well north of $100k. However, based on the sentiment from disgruntled consumers, it seems this truck does not live up to its price tag. The man called electric vehicles the “biggest scam of modern times” after his experience with his F-150 Lightning.
While many have lofty projections for EVs in the Iong term, it’s safe to say that these vehicles are not ready to replace the reliability of traditional automobiles. Although, this hasn’t deterred some woke, blue states in the U.S. from preemptively enacting electric vehicle mandates.
For example, California announced it would ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Such mandates have drawn concern, particularly from automakers who will be forced to play within the guidelines of these new regulations.
“Whether or not these requirements are realistic or achievable is directIy linked to external factors like inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing, and the ongoing semiconductor shortage,” John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation said in a statement. “These are complex, intertwined and global issues.”
Also, many concerns surround the feasibility of a mass transition to electric vehicles. As it stands, this could limit people’s autonomy as driving ranges are limited and charging infrastructure is insufficient. Furthermore, there couId be an affordability crisis as many Americans can’t even afford a new car, let alone the price of a new EV.
In 1965, a powerful warning was broadcast to the world; 54 years later, it has unfortunately become a reality.
Paul Harvey, the iconic news commentator and radio pioneer, captivated millions of Americans with his unique delivery style, reaching over 24 million listeners at his peak. His words always carried weight, but no one could have predicted just how prophetic one of his speeches would become.
Today, when I reread his famous broadcast from 1965, I was struck by how eerily relevant it is to our present times.
The speech, titled “If I Were the Devil,” was first aired on April 3, 1965. In it, Harvey imagines what he would do if he were the Devil, detailing a cunning strategy to lead society astray. Sadly, many of the warnings he issued back then reflect the very struggles we face today.
EVERYONE should listen to this. Paul Harvey was alarmingly accurate 54 years ago.
In his fictional narrative, Harvey, as the Devil, outlines how he would whisper lies to people, corrupt young minds, and undermine moral foundations. He speaks of a world where values are flipped upside down, where faith is diminished, and materialism reigns. He envisions a society where chaos spreads through drugs, media, and weakening family bonds.
Listening to it again, it’s hard not to feel a chill as you realize how much of what he predicted has come to pass.
I grew up hearing Paul Harvey on the radio with my mom in the 1970s, and now, more than ever, his words seem to ring true. Everything he warned of 54 years ago seems to be happening now
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