# Is the US EV market dead? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671 "2026-02-14T20:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/421 "2026-02-28T10:17:56Z")
They don’t need them, but there are special plates available. Like MD plates or veterans plates, they might have certain benefits. The dealer (who did all the paperwork for our new car) recommended them. And yes, they exist in other countries. [https://wheelfront.com/the-benefits-and-costs-of-an-ev-license-plate-what-you-need-to-know/](https://wheelfront.com/the-benefits-and-costs-of-an-ev-license-plate-what-you-need-to-know/) ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/422 "2026-02-28T13:30:05Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > It’s going to be true of solid state batteries, too, if they are developed. Far from true. One of the features of SSB is safety including those that are being made and released this year > **[How solid-state batteries are reshaping energy storage](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-solid-state-batteries-reshaping-energy-storage-cas-ylucf/)** > > Solid-state batteries (SSBs) promise higher energy density, longer life, and improved safety. Discover how they’re driving the next wave of energy innovation. > **[BYD shuts down rumors of testing a Seal EV with solid-state batteries for...](https://electrek.co/2025/06/23/byd-shuts-down-rumors-testing-seal-ev-with-solid-state-batteries/)** > > BYD is responding to a report that it’s testing solid-state EV batteries in its Tesla Model 3-rivalling Seal. The rumors... A good overview ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/423 "2026-02-28T18:05:37Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Why do EV’s need special license plates? AIUI, in my state (Illinois), I think that EVs were required to have special “EL” plates, though that’s apparently changed in recent years. The reasoning was that the EL plate fee included a surcharge to offset the fact that, as EVs don’t use gasoline, owners don’t pay the state tax on gas which goes into the state highway maintenance fund. At some point, Illinois apparently figured out how to charge EV owners that surcharge without the special plate. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/424 "2026-02-28T18:36:32Z")
The plates allowed access to HOV lanes in some states regardless of #of passengers. Demento Donny put out a screed condemning that practice. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/425 "2026-03-01T15:07:13Z")
_Move on move on nothing to see here…_ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bTpcITX91ko/maxresdefault.jpg "BYD Confirms Solid-State for 2027 and 10,000-Cycle Sodium") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTpcITX91ko) 😇 ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/426 "2026-03-01T15:32:51Z")
For those who don’t want to watch an undescribed video, it’s a guy analyzing a BYD announcement of: 1. Solid state battery pilot project beginning 2027 building towards cost parity with lithium NMC batteries by ~2030. 2. Sodium Ion battery chemistry under development with 10k cycle life and half the material cost of lithium LFP batteries. Not sure exactly what we’re supposed to be taking away from this. SS batteries 3-5 years away from entering the market as usual, and lower performance battery chemistries continuing to move to cheaper and cheaper materials which should result in less expensive entry-level vehicles. Yes, battery technology continues to march onward which will continue to improve the value proposition of BEVs. However, nothing immediately revolutionary unless Donut Labs turns out to be for real. Spoiler: Donut Labs will not turn out to be for real. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/427 "2026-03-01T15:41:01Z")
You miss the point…. SSB is not the holy grail at the moment tho it is coming quickly…sodium is the big shift and that is now CATL & BYD [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aB4vB4utqEs/maxresdefault.jpg "CATL and BYD Are Betting on a New Battery Type — And It’s Not Lithium") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB4vB4utqEs) This is flat out WRONG..it is not under development 1. > Sodium Ion battery chemistry **under development** with 10k cycle life and half the material cost of lithium LFP batteries. and these are the lovely BYD cars coming to Canada in 2026 and already here in Australia where I live [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0dZVo8HxUes/maxresdefault.jpg "JUST IN: BYD Reveals their TOP 5 Best Selling Models for Canada in 2026!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dZVo8HxUes) Getting hung up on Donut Labs misses the real disruptor ….sodium, and that is here now. Also coming to EV 2 wheelers. > **[How electric scooters are driving China's salt battery push](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250530-how-electric-scooters-are-driving-chinas-salt-battery-push)** > > The country is racing ahead of the rest of the world in bringing sodium-ion batteries to the mass market. This time, through scooters. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/428 "2026-03-01T16:03:27Z")
Doesn’t this have its own thread? The one that you advised no one to buy an EV now because these developments will change everything and are here now? Relevant to the American EV industry, if when these products are widely available then the American industry will have either also developed them or be far far behind. But maybe better off than if they had invested more in a yesteryear’s format? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/429 "2026-03-01T16:56:28Z")
Under development = in the works but not yet available for sale. There are a couple Chinese manufacturers who plan to launch cars with sodium batteries before the end of the year. They’re not yet available for sale. They do purport to offer some significant advantages over LFP batteries, but they’re going to need to because LFP in the North American market is seen as inferior to NMC batteries due to the decreased energy density and corresponding lower ranges. Given that at least initially sodium energy densities look more like LFP than NMC, they’re going to need their other advantages. Where sodium might really have the edge beyond just being cheaper is winter performance, with purportedly vastly lower cold weather performance degradation vs lithium. This might be revolutionary for truly cold bits of the North American market. But until these things are actually available for sale, and actually being used in truly cold conditions, we won’t know for sure. But as someone in the market for a car in the next year, this is largely irrelevant. It might be possible to buy a car with a sodium ion battery in China before the year is out. Okay. Is it a model in the segment I’m looking at? Probably not. Will it be available in Canada? No. How long am I supposed to drive a 17-year old ICE instead of jumping into a current BEV offering with all the improvements in driving experience that will entail, because an incrementally even bigger improvement will be available to purchase at some undefined point in the future? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/430 "2026-03-01T17:14:50Z")
No. Mandating EVs before optimizing them was optimistic. Consumers do want to save money on gas and in addition to environmental benefits the cost and quality will eventually make them omnipresent. The Chinese were wise to greatly invest in universities and STEM research on batteries. They publish a majority of new papers in this. Others invest in executive compensation. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/431 "2026-03-01T18:06:05Z")
**Moderating:** @MacDoc Please do not post unqualified links. If the preview box explains it that is generally OK but still not encouraged. But bare links like yours are not allowed. I’m going to edit your posts so the previews show at least. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/432 "2026-03-02T04:14:56Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > The plates allowed access to HOV lanes in some states regardless of #of passengers. Demento Donny put out a screed condemning that practice. That explains it then. That used to be the case here in Arizona until the privilege was revoked last October – thanks to gerrymandering the state legislature is much more red than the populace. The plate says _Alternative Fuel_ because CNG, LNG, hydrogen, and solar qualify. Hybrids, plug-in or not, do not. [![](https://azmvdnow.gov/content/images/plates/AlternativeFuel.jpg) ](https://azmvdnow.gov/content/images/plates/AlternativeFuel.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/433 "2026-03-02T04:20:17Z")
Do you have solar-power vehicles in Arizona? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/434 "2026-03-02T04:33:20Z")
Experimental, maybe. Another qualifier is one that is 70% AF, 30% gasoline but the AZMVD site says this is not available in Arizona nor how it is accomplished. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/435 "2026-03-02T21:30:19Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Doesn’t this have its own thread? The one that you advised no one to buy an EV now because these developments will change everything and are here now? I believe you mean this thread: > [@Next generation of EV batteries by BYD and others - Real, Speculative, or Vaporware](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-generation-of-ev-batteries-by-byd-and-others-real-speculative-or-vaporware/1026937): > > BYD is well regarded and established here in Australia and will be in Canada ( wearing both my hats ) I’d advise EVERYONE considering an EV to sit tight until the reality of SSB and other non-lithium batteries settles in ( BYD will lead ). The insanely lower cost, range and charging speed will totally disrupt the LiOn industry and call into question all the billions spent on mega factories, lithium mines and geopolitical maneuvering. Please note, the thread title was created by me quickly when spinning off the hijack, and may not fully reflect @MacDoc’s intention. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/436 "2026-03-13T13:39:06Z")
Honda just did a [$15.7 billion write-down](https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/hondas-157-billion-ev-writedown-is-painful-china-challenges-loom-down-road-2026-03-13/) of its electric vehicle business. From [here](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a70722299/honda-0-series-suv-saloon-acura-rsx-canceled/): > Honda is canceling the development and sale of the 0-Series SUV, 0-Series Saloon, and Acura RSX, all of which were going to be built in the United States. They were planned to be built at Honda’s manufacturing facility in Ohio, which has been retooling for much of the past two years. > > The automaker explicitly called out American tariff policies and the volatile policy environment surrounding EV incentives and fossil fuel regulations. > > Honda is projecting massive profit losses as a result of the decision, and is having some top executives return a portion of their salaries as a result. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671/437 "2026-03-13T16:35:13Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > The automaker explicitly called out American tariff policies and the volatile policy environment surrounding EV incentives and fossil fuel regulations. You would hope this will hurt the Republicans in upcoming Ohio elections. I won’t hold my breath. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-ev-market-dead/1027671.md?page=21)