I don't know why this isn't discussed more often. EVs won't be able to replace traditional gas powered vehicles if the majority of consumers won't be able to afford one in the next twenty years.

I have spent the last ten years arguing this to people richer than me. I drive a used car, it is over twenty years old. I will keep driving it until it stops running or becomes too expensive to maintain. I do not have the money for a "car note" and I own my used vehicle outright. My credit is not in a position to purchase a new vehicle... which like, who in their right mind buys a new vehicle anyway when it loses a massive amount of value the second you drive it off the lot?

Unless the game drastically changes on EVs, they will continue to be something that mostly the affluent can afford to have, while the poor will continue fixing up their decades-old beaters until they're made illegal.

All I've ever wanted is an EV without all the bells and whistles... to help reduce the cost of the vehicle. Don't give me touchscreen anything, don't give me keyless entry, don't give me power windows, don't give me rear-view cameras and sensors. I want it all low-tech and cheap to replace. I can't afford to replace a $10k bumper that has a boatload of sensors in it when a bumper without sensors is a couple hundred bucks.

We need a "poor mans" EV, fast.