The Massive Success of Electric Cars in Palm Springs and England

 Since moving to Palm Springs, I have been very much surprised and pleased by a number of electric cars. California, in general, and Palm Springs, in particular, is fertile ground for EVs. Out here, most distances are easily coverable within their range. The solar panels and expensive gas make owning an EV a price-effective choice, particularly if you use this as a second car.

Then there is England. I thought expensive energy and cloudy weather would make the EVs undesirable there. I was utterly wrong. 

Some of the popular EVs in the desert (rich people here). Genesis GV 60 (luxury EV SUV) - super popular out here, Rivan (growing numbers out here), Cadillac Lryic, Tesla is popular everywhere.

EVs are everywhere in England, much more popular than in most of America—with the exception of Palm Springs and other areas I don't know. But here is what works for them, and it isn't mandates.

1st, the distances are much shorter. A hop down to a pub a few miles away, or the supermarket, which is even closer, makes perfect sense for an electric. It is very different than our "tests" here that travel from Florida to New York and have to stop to recharge a lot.

For example, the distance from Miami to New York is 1,285 miles, and the distance from London to Edinburgh is 401 miles. Everything is closer and nearly everything is within a distance where a charge is not needed.

2nd, British gas (petrol) prices there are super high. They are significantly higher than even California. It is the same in all of Europe, where gas taxes are very high - comparatively.

Third, there are more varieties and options of cars in the United Kingdom and Europe than there are here. There are everything from small, less expensive options (MG and Fiat) to large luxury cars, such as Rolls Royce and Mercedes.

4th, the infrastructure is mainly in place. Europe and the United Kingdom use 220-volt outlets. Given the small distances and connected electricity at 220, plugging them in doesn't require the home improvements needed for the US.

It made me smile.