Ars TechnicaDon’t supersize me: The case for small electric cars instead of big SUVs
Small cars are good for us but bad for business.
Ben Schorr 
@arstechnica My Mustang Mach-E is the perfect size for me. Comfortable to drive, fits both kids in the back with their car seats and still has room in the trunk for groceries.
PanopticolaVehicle size is relative, like financial disparity or privilege.
The SparkEV is tiny in comparison, but I can comfortably fit 4 adults or two plus two carseats, and four full grocery bags, but with only a 19KWh battery to lug around. Three more bags if it's carseats and I can use the rear floor. With the seats down I haul furniture, farm supplies, etc. It's not roomy but not really cramped either due to clever use of space.
Vehicular utility depends heavily on design and technique plus expectations. I'm not saying you should use a tiny car for your two-child family needs, but I could (and did).
@Panopticola @arstechnica I'll take your word for it, though from what I've seen of the Spark I'm not sure I'd describe it as "comfortable".
It's certainly true that the SparkEV could be a perfectly good vehicle for some use cases though. Of course even the SparkEV was over $20K if I recall correctly.
Comfort is an extremely relative term, of course. What I mean by that is the surprising leg and headroom in the back. (To clarify, our household members are somewhat average height and mass for canadians.) It's only a 4-seater, so the width is enough as well. The materials are cheap but the seat design is good enough for a day trip, better than many I've had over the years. Not as good as any Mercedes. Better than a Jetta and Escort and any of the trucks or vans I've had.
The ergonomics are pretty good (operability is a comfort thing to me). Large knobs for HVAC, good steering wheel controls, and the wheel comfort itself is great.
The infotainment system is obsolete and painful. Uncomfortable. The dash is pretty usable.
EV costs are high yep but the topic is size optimization for efficiency. Short range batteries and lighter cars means less energy usage all around. If you must use a car, that is.
We're all going on energy diets eh, like it or not.
Uh, and to further clarify where I think we're at if one can afford an EV but aren't rich, we use the 130km range EV for all the short trips, which is the vast majority of them, but sometimes, like yesterday, we need to move 4 or 5 adults and a bunch of supplies, over 150 km, so we have an old CRV for that. If we didn't live in the hilly countryside we'd probably have a sedan or hatchback.
Transition communities and economies are our best hope for survival: evolving but progressive shifts in lifestyle and culture, as rapidly as possible replacing whatever inefficiencies and excess we can.
@Panopticola @arstechnica My wife still drives a gas-powered Subaru Forester. I haven't talked her into replacing that with an EV yet - though if we could find a plug-in hybrid with 3rd row seating in our price range I think she'd be interested.
Maybe don't replace it yet? Seems odd to say but it depends on a lot of variables.
Our 20-year old mini-SUV is more utility than sport and it has lots of life left in it still. Sometimes we really need it, but the daily trips are usually under 50 km so the EV does all of the commute and errands.
If you wait a little longer the options will be much better, and you will be creating less demand in the meantime. Prices are coming down and production is coming online.
I know many people love their hybrids but EV design simplicity is one of the main attractions for me.
John Seghers@bschorr @Panopticola @arstechnica the Pacifica Hybrid Minivan has decent electric range for a hybrid and plenty of seating
@xaritech @Panopticola @arstechnica The Pacifica is a bit more expensive than we were looking to spend though. At the moment my wife is leaning towards the Toyota Sienna Hybrid.