Early Adopters and EVs

Tesla Model S

I saw my first EV in July of 2000 near Los Angeles, California. It was a GM EV1. I remember being surprised by how small it was. Scary small to drive on public roads. Early models had lead-acid batteries (like the 12-volt battery in your car) and I wondered what would happen if it were ever in a wreck. Acid going everywhere, maybe?

You couldn't buy EV1s, only lease them.

I saw my next EV in August of 2013 near Boulder, Colorado. It was a Tesla Model S (the only model Tesla sold at the time). And I remember thinking that the owner was an "early adopter." And that the owner must have some bunch of money to afford it, too.

Being an early adopter has always been expensive. You buy the latest and greatest computer for big bucks, and in 3 months something better comes out, probably for less money. 

This is especially true for electric cars (EVs). I'm often seeing headlines such as "Ford adds range to its EVs" or "Tesla cuts prices of its EVs."

And then I think, "What about the poor schmucks who already bought one?"

And there are rumors of a solid-state battery coming that has about double the range of current batteries and only takes 10 minutes to charge. And it isn't affected by temperature. I'm hoping that actually happens because Washington State, where I live (I can't convince my wife to move to Idaho), is going to start in 2030 requiring all new cars to be EVs. So my next car will probably have to be an EV. When it comes to EVs, I'm not an early adopter.

What do you think about being an early adopter? What do you think about EVs and early adopters? Let me know in the comments below.