Why Electric Cars Won't Work in the US.

They don't require gasoline. They have a tremendous fuel economy. They could potentially save our skyrocketing CO2 emissions. But no, Americans are not ready to accept the electric car into their lives just yet. Many models and concept cars have tried in the past- the Chevy Volt, the Tesla, and the Nissan Leaf among others- without much success. Perhaps the biggest roadblock electric cars need to face is not so much the larger amount of initial pay, but the fact the Americans don't like change. According to Forbes,  the average KWH (Kilowatt per hour) is $0.11 versus the $4.00 per gallon of gasoline. This adds up in the long run, and should be very appealing to Americans who need to save money. Yes, electric vehicles are more costly than standard models, but they should pay for themselves after a year or so. The main reason Americans aren't biting is because the concept of a car that you can charge not refuel is too different. 

American men (and women even) love the manly appeal of a loud exhaust in a car, whereas electric cars are silent. Not to mention EV's don't have nearly the horsepower or torque of your pick-up truck or muscle car. For this reason EV's appear feminine and weak to countless car lovers in the U.S. Also, Americans are afraid of the new idea of having to recharge their car. The dramatically different concept of plugging your car into a charger rather than filling up your car from a pump at a gas station is alien to Americans. For this reason, and many others involving the irregularity of the use of an electric car, Americans are unwilling to invest in a more expensive vehicle that is so new to them.

The Chevy Volt, also known as the
Chevy Joke

I also feel like Americans have a huge dependence on natural gas. When we think of our daily or weekly expenses on necessities, (depending on how much you drive) gas costs exceed nearly all other costs. This is why gas companies have become so strong; that they have a stranglehold on car-driving Americans. The vast introduction of EV's would intimidate American gas "giants" along with Americans who have used gas for so many years.

There are many other very legitimate cons to EV's, but I found that most other reasons are technical and criticize the range of electric cars or the lack of infrastructure for charging them and whatnot (Bankrate). Although these reasons are valid, in my opinion Americans are less afraid of the technical aspects of EV's than the are the obscure concepts that come along with it. I think this goes along with the American ideal of normality, and a lack of obscurity. This doesn't apply to just electric cars; Americans don't like radical changes in their everyday lives. Electric cars may be good for our economy and environment, but the American ideal of not diverging from the "norm" prevents the EV business to move forward in the U.S.