100% this.
And thus something Car & Driver with their pro-ICE tendencies missed in their article: people who understand we must move off fossil fuels need an environmentally-friendly option to crowded mass transit. That may lead to more rapid adoption of BEVs post-pandemic, not slower.
Those are kinda 2 different things though... the effect of people wanting to drive instead of taking transit now is independent of how many are willing to switch from ICE to BEV.
And even after there's a widespread vaccine for this one, there's lingering psychological effects. Fear of "but what about the next one" will likely drag on for years. This one won't quickly be forgotten.
No question about those factors that will lead to less driving and reluctance to buy big-ticket items. Those are certainly true.
While there's probably a little of that, I think it's pretty insignificant. Here's why... far and away the biggest determining factor for taking transit or not is whether it's a convenient fit for that person's needs. Meaning it starts and stops very close to where they need to go between, at the times they need it, they don't make other stops or have other things they do before/after work, etc.
I know lots of people who already have the cars but will intentionally make that decision to take transit because it is the green alternative. I believe that fraction is bigger than you think, for the people that have the money to choose.
Could be. Although it could also be that while some people like to tout that, they would really use it anyway just because it was a convenient and cheaper option.
I think you are spot on @dbsb3233. While being green is definitely a factor for some, I think most people will not make their decision based on that alone or as a majority factor. I think for the overwhelming majority of people, at best they would choose the green option as a tie breaker only.
I think it largely parallels the BEV market share situation. We had a niche slice that were early adopters in order to "be green". No doubt that segment exists. But it amounted to just 1-2% of US sales for the last decade. The vast majority stuck with ICE vehicles because they were still the better functional/cost/convenience fits for them.
We're close to agreement here and I wouldn't venture to put comparative numbers on it. You are right I am talking about a minority of car buyers, but my point is that it is more than anecdotal and personal. I do have more insights into the environmental community, which actually is a significant fraction of BEV purchasers. Circling back to my point from the beginning, my point is this is a large number of the early adopters of BEVs that Car & Driver overlooked.
