I see this take on SUVs all the time, and I can't help but think it's wrong. Americans just like bigger vehicles and will downsize if gas gets too expensive. There's a reason almost all electric car companies start off with a CUV/SUV/truck, and it's not because they're allergic to sedans or coupes.

▲

adjejmxbdjdn a day ago | parent | next [-]

- Tesla, the most prominent and successful EV company, didn’t start with a truck.

- Neither did all the attempts at EVs from other competitors in the 2010s, like the GM Bolt/Volt or the Nissan Leaf.

- But you’re not wrong, that today EV companies usually start with SUVs/CUVs, but that’s because a larger chassis makes it easier to include a large enough battery.

	▲	tmp10423288442 a day ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Back in the 2010s, EVs were primarily sold to customers that were more likely to be averse to SUVs for the perceived environmental impact and, frankly, snobbery (liberals of the time used to mock big SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade and the Hummer, particularly after they got associated with the timespan of the Bush administration before becoming uneconomical after the late 2000s oil price spike). Also the batteries just didn't have enough capacity at a reasonable price to build anything heavier than a sedan. As soon as it was feasible, Tesla released a CUV (the Model Y) which now outsells the Model 3 almost 2-to-1. Arguably Tesla has fumbled by letting Elon pursue the Cybertruck rather than a full-sized SUV or normal pickup truck. You can observe that Rivian went after precisely those missing models.
	▲	formerly_proven a day ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		They're mostly CUVs and above because fitting sedan seating into a CUV-shaped body frees up the height you need for a battery. Western OEM batteries were usually tall because they mostly used large-format pouch cells, because that promised the highest performance and lowest cost (spoiler: recalls are expensive).

▲

beowulfey a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

There is a market for smaller cars and trucks but its probably smaller than for other countries. We don't have the smaller roads/spaces associated with e.g. Europe. But for sure I would buy small cars or trucks first any day compared to the monsters on the road; there are few options though.

▲

pjc50 15 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The SUV branding is ridiculous. The Fiat 600 brands itself as "SUV" to appeal to this sector. It's basically a hatchback with a slightly elevated driving position. In a few years all cars will be called "SUV", and then sub-distinctions like "compact SUV" and "hatchback SUV" will be re-introduced.

▲

yonaguska a day ago | parent | prev [-]

Idk if I'd say that Americans like bigger vehicles. There are just a lot of incentives that push us that way.