Nollij

Here's why I don't buy it- Toyota is still hyping hydrogen as the next gen fuel option. They barely have a BEV option, despite having a 15-year lead on electric drivetrains.

They're betting hard that BEVs are a small market.

You are correct, and the exact definition/requirement has changed a few times. But many (most?) EVs for sale in the US are eligible. The vehicles themselves are assembled in the US, the big sticking point was the battery. It's something that gets buried in the details rather than advertised at the top. I can confirm the Chevy Bolt is advertised at ~$35k, but in the details you can see that it's eligible for the rebate, effectively bringing it down to ~$27.5k.

A detail to confirm when shopping, but one that is common.

This made the rounds recently. Tesla is bad (just like all car companies), but not quite that bad. They do have stated controls.

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/

Your use case is very reasonable, and a lot of people want it. But it's a big challenge from a technical/engineering standpoint. You know how a replacement battery pack for an EV costs like $8k and has a range of 300 miles? Your rental battery would cost at least that much, plus whatever costs are involved to make it portable, and integrate it's usage into your existing EV. Then the rental places would need to have massive charging capabilities for when people stop in to swap their empty rental battery for a full one, since it still only has a range of 300 miles (4-5 hours of freeway driving)

I actually think there will be improvements on the fast charging front. You can already see this idea in other places. Many heavy duty trucks have 2 fuel tanks. You can fill them with 2 standard pumps running simultaneously, effectively giving you double the refueling speed. Some phones have dual batteries for the same reason.

The honest answer for right now, which will likely cause an emotional response, is to just rent a different car for these rare needs. Or plan around chargers en route, which will likely be a frustrating experience.

The savings you'll get day-to-day will more than cover your rental fees.

While your larger point is valid, it's missing some important context. I haven't seen the data, but I suspect that it says 65% own (vs renting) their primary residence, not that 65% own a single family house suitable for home charging. This figure would include houses with street parking only, off-street parking unsuitable for charging (e.g. carport, or a detached garage without electricity), and critically, condos. Condos often have the exact same restrictions as apartments, even if you own the living space. In the opposite direction, it doesn't count the rented homes where you could charge.

Now, all of that being said, you are correct that it's not the only (or perhaps even the biggest) obstacle to moving entirely to EVs. Countless gas vehicles are sold daily to people that could absolutely charge at home. But it does freeze out a large market segment, whom I suspect are more interested in EVs in the first place.

Ignoring how that would work even under ideal circumstances, do you propose that large portions of the country use a bike when it's below freezing? Because that's a non-starter, and no one will take you seriously.

That's a problem that is pretty easily solved. It can all be solidly affixed to the wall, locked to the vehicle, etc.

You really only have 1 problem (aside from perceptions), but it's a real one. You need to be able to charge at home, and it sounds like you probably can't do that. You'd be stuck on trickle charging (3 miles of range per hour on the charger), and even that's questionable.

The car will keep the battery warm whenever it's plugged in. If you take care of the battery (rarely let it go all the to 0% or 100%), it will easily last over 100k miles, and probably to 200k. When it does start to wear out, it's not a hard cutoff- just like your phone, you'll notice the capacity (range) starts to drop.

FWIW, there are very significant federal rebates/tax credits in the US for EVs. That specifically includes upgrading electrical service to support an EV charger. But given that you said kms, I have to assume you are in a different country. Many have their own incentives, but you'd have to check into those yourself.

The Bolt has an odd marketing approach behind it. While it may be true that the Bolt will technically be discontinued, there will be its direct successor (built on the Ultium platform)

Also, as a practical matter, you can cut $7500 off the price of any new EV in the US because of the tax incentive.

There is a very real reason why certain classes of cars are EV and not others- you have to be able to charge at home/work to have a good experience. That normally means having a garage, often in a single family house. Apartment dwellers need not apply. Unfortunately, these are also the ones that buy compact cars, meaning there isn't much of a market. The suburbanites that are eligible to charge at home mostly buy SUVs and more expensive sedans.

It doesn't matter if they're making money. Google/Alphabet is a for-profit company. A big part of this means they have to make as much money as possible. MBA programs literally teach that any unrealized potential profit is lost money.

They could rake in a trillion dollars in ads, and they'd still do this if it meant they could get 1.1 trillion instead.

When they talk about these fast charge times, it's always about DC fast chargers. Home chargers (levels 1&2) simply don't need it, have never been close, and no one really cares. This is fodder for the road trip mentality, or counter-FUD to the FUD that charging is long and slow.

If it actually pans out, I'm sure we'll start to see DC fast charges advertising their speed, possibly with a premium price. It's already a detail being tracked, it just doesn't usually take a front seat.