Here is a great, stunning example of what needs to be done.
Take Tesla, for example. Tesla has only managed stay afloat as a car company because of government funding, pumping earnings from other sources into the company, and using other ways to prop it up.
Tesla is a badge of honor for people who have contradictory goals with respect to virtue-signaling.
One the one hand, they generally seem to think they are giving the impression that they are saving the planet, and their Tesla is proof. There are many Tesla(s) in my neighborhood; I see several every time I go out. Every one has a personalized license plate to make sure you get the point. Most plates try to squash some barely intelligible communique regarding the driver's responsible and loving stance with respect to the environment. If not in that vein, the other common message is one of thumbing their noses at those of us unfortunates unlucky enough to be in a gasoline-burning vehicle.
This is patent hypocrisy (just had to use that word). The Tesla creates an astonishing amount of pollution to build,
releasing as much CO2 into the atmosphere as driving a normal ICE car would create in eight years of normal mileage.
The other aspect of the Tesla market is, of course, showing that one has "arrived" in style.
So much for that.
The real problem is that the Tesla does nothing at all to help curb any kind of pollution to the atmosphere, although it does shift that pollution from local to global. Great job. Not.
On top of that, the car is hardly affordable to the average consumer. They'll take a pass every time in favor of a nice Camry. (Toyota has invested very heavily in Tesla; maybe some folks do buy a Prius).
To get the thing right, the technology and the vehicle have to be accessible to the average person. It has to be useful.
A great many people would probably like to own a plug-in electric vehicle, but not for that kind of money. That's where the smart thinking kicks in.
EMV (Electra Meccanica) has just introduced an all-electric plug-in car, top speed 82 mph, 100 mile range, 3-hour charge time (6 hours at 110V).
And it's $15,500.
Now, that's a lot less than a Can-Am trike. It's fully-enclosed, with all the creature comforts, bells, and whistles. THAT is what Millennials want. That is what I want. I'd buy one. They are not expensive. And very, very useful in an urban environment.
You could take that thing instead of a motorcycle if the conditions warranted; very cold weather, need a lot of groceries, want to run some errands, or for commuting. Most people commute alone; this would be just the thing.
The point is that this company has figure out what people REALLY need and want, and they'll likely do very very well with this product.
Meanwhile, Tesla is backlogged big time with the Model 3, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.