Electric Cars and Culture: Where do the Dreamers Beat the Planners?

Martin Karaffa
5 min readMar 3, 2020
146962233 © Andrei Gabriel Stanescu | Dreamstime.com. Used under editorial license

Have a look at this list of battery-electric vehicles to be available in 2020, top ten in order of range.

Source: Motor Trend

  1. Tesla Roadster: 620 mi/992 km
  2. Rivian R1T: 400+ mi/643+ km
  3. Tesla Model S LR: 373 mi/ 600 km
  4. Tesla Model X LR: 328 mi/528 km
  5. Tesla Model 3 LR: 322 mi/518 km
  6. Ford Mustang Mach E (2021 MY) : 210–300 mi/338–483 km
  7. Tesla Model Y: 300 mi/483 km
  8. Polestar 2: 285 mi/489 km
  9. Chevrolet Bolt EV: 259 mi/417 km
  10. Hyundai Kona: 258 mi/415 km

Of the 10 longest-range BEVs, eight come from US manufacturers.

It would be easy to cite geography as a reason. Americans just plain drive more: 13000 km per year vs 6500 in the UK, 6300 in Germany and a slim 3900 in Japan. Spread-out suburbs, long commutes, and road-trips between medium-sized cities are simply a fact of American life.

But I’d argue that national culture plays a bigger role.

I’ve been kicking around the German automotive scene for quite a while, and am aghast at how often some local auto execs dismiss consumer concerns…

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Martin Karaffa

Marty is an independent strategy consultant specialising in global brands and communications. He is also an Associate Partner of The Culture Factor.