The future looks both green and bright, with electric vehicles selling at higher rates than ever before, achieving the rather astonishing feat of outselling petrol and diesel-powered cars thanks to better raw material suppliers, higher capacity batteries and more models..

According to data by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, battery electric and hybrid electric cars make up the majority of new car registrations, a feat that was remarkable and shows the momentum of the entire market and the growth opportunities not only on a dealer forecourt but in the production of batteries.

However, it goes without saying that this was not always the case, and with that in mind, here are some of the biggest reasons why EVs fail to launch, alongside some particularly notable examples.

 

Making The Wrong Car For The Wrong Reasons

There is a broad variety of EVs available today, but one of the biggest missed opportunities for manufacturers was the types of affordable, practical, everyday EVs that the majority of the market needed.

The Electric Car Grant has helped to make more of these cars accessible, but affordability is still a serious concern, and the most successful manufacturers are those that can produce EVs that can be used for daily commutes that are not priced at a premium.

This was not the case with Tesla, which in 2019 unveiled the now-infamous Cybertruck, a flagship electric pickup truck that was built instead of a promised entry-level, affordable car.

The Cybertruck was, much like the similarly infamous Ford Edsel,  the wrong car at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. It was illegal to own in certain countries due to its unsafe design, it was far too expensive, and whilst positioned as a high-speed practical offroader, it was so incapable of this that it became an expensive status symbol.

It was such a flop that the poor sales temporarily led to a dip in the entire market, and the company’s market share plummeted during a boom for the rest of the industry.

 

Launching At The Wrong Time

Timing is everything when launching any product, but EVs in particular should be launched and showcased in a way that presents them in the best possible way that ensures future success.

This means that an EV should launch when it is ready to minimise the kinds of early adopter issues that can colour the perspective of the car in the future.

The most infamous example of this was the Sinclair C5’s launch on a winter’s day in Alexandra Palace, which punctured any potential it had as a serious personal mobility solution.

However, another example of launching at the wrong time, which may have had even greater consequences, was the Fisker Ocean, a car that launched in the automotive equivalent of an early access beta stage, banking on early adoption and a minimum viable product to succeed.

A now-infamous video review by Auto Focus’ Marquise Brownlee described it as the worst car he had ever reviewed, and whilst some over-the-air updates fixed some of the issues, it was too late to save the reputation of the car and the company itself.

Had the company delayed the launch by as little as a month, this would not have been an issue.

 

An Expectation Of Failure

A lot of the issues that come with EV startups, such as Fisker, are caused by a prevailing attitude of overoptimism; many companies operate under a principle of “if we build it, people will buy it”, without any consideration of how to make it appealing to customers.

However, the exact opposite mindset can also lead to failure, and nowhere was this more evident than with the EV1, the General Motors electric vehicle that succeeded perhaps a little too well for the company’s liking.

The first EV ever made that had the potential to work as a car, General Motors had expected it to be a failure and proof to the California Air Resources Board that their ambitious zero emissions vehicles (ZEV) mandate was essentially impossible.

Unfortunately, the car was perhaps a little too capable, and the few customers able to lease the machine enjoyed their experience perhaps a little too much, which meant that the aggressive shutdown and destruction of the EV1 damaged GM’s reputation significantly.

 

The Differences Between Paper And Tarmac

A lot of great EV ideas fail simply because the theoretical principles behind their designs struggle to function in reality, or more practical concerns override the ambitious underlying battery technology.

Possibly the most infamous example of this is the Scottish Aviation Scamp, an early electric microcar designed as a second car and showcase for the Electricity Council.

Unfortunately, it was tested by the Motor Industry Research Association, and the resulting reports have become infamous, describing a car that started to break down within just 15 miles. After 1000 miles, the car was described as dangerous and unfit for purpose.