Sunday Hoon 003 - Not So Fast! The EV Revolution Is Running Out of Charge…
There’s a certain smugness that comes with talking about electric cars. For years we’ve been told they’re the future, the only direction forward, the end of driving as we know it. But lately, that future feels less inevitable. The mood’s changing - and even the biggest names in European motoring are quietly stepping off the accelerator.
Walk past a dealership forecourt and you’ll see the problem: brand-new electric cars sitting still, unsold. The hype hasn’t quite translated into demand.
When Values Drop as Fast as the Charge
Take the Porsche Taycan - once the poster child of electric performance. Prices on the used market have plummeted over the past year, some losing more than half their value. That’s a brutal hit for a car that was meant to symbolise progress. And Porsche isn’t alone; plenty of manufacturers are struggling to move their EV stock as early adopters cool off and cautious buyers hold back.
Porsche’s Reality Check
Porsche has quietly back tracked on plans to make the next Boxster and Cayman fully electric. It’s also reshuffling release schedules for several EV models and extending the life of combustion and hybrid cars. That’s not retreat, it’s realism. There’s only so much you can ask of customers when charging networks are patchy, electricity prices keep climbing, and depreciation bites harder than a flat-six in sport plus.
The Shifting Rulebook
Even governments are easing off. The UK recently pushed back the deadline for banning new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035, admitting that infrastructure and affordability just aren’t there yet. It’s a small but telling move, a nod to the fact that ambition alone won’t build a reliable charging grid.
The Chinese Flood
While Europe hesitates, China is flooding the market with cheap EVs. They’re everywhere - sleek, affordable and often under cutting Western rivals by tens of thousands. But many of these cars won’t stand the test of time. Build quality, long-term reliability, and after-sales support remain questionable. They might make headlines now, but they’re unlikely to become classics you’ll want to keep in the garage.
Clarkson Speaks: “Washing Machines on Wheels”
In the final episode of The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson said what many enthusiasts were already thinking. “I’m simply not interested inelectric cars,” he admitted. “They are just white goods. They’re washing machines, they’re microwave ovens. You can’t review those, you can’t enjoy them. They are just… shit.”
Clarkson’s point cuts deeper than just shock value. He’s arguing that modern cars have lost their soul. The noise, the danger, the connection, all replaced with silence and screens. Cars used to have character; now they have software updates. For Clarkson, that shift killed the joy of reviewing them, and ultimately, the reason to keep making The Grand Tour. Without the sound of combustion and the sense of risk, motoring has become sterile.
It’s hard to disagree. He’s speaking for the drivers who miss the imperfections, the ones who think a car should stir your soul, notjust transport you from a to b.
The Battery Problem
Here’s the truth about batteries: they’ve improved a lot, but they’re still far from perfect. They’re heavy, resource-intensive to produce, and degrade faster than most manufacturers admit. Replacing a pack isn’t just expensive, it’s wasteful. And let’s not pretend they’re environmentally spotless; mining lithium and cobalt comes with its own moral and environmental issues. For all the talk of sustainability, we’ve swapped one kind of problem for another.
Manufacturing Mayhem
Building an EV isn’t simply about swapping an engine for a motor. The entire process is different. Factories need retooling, supply chains need rebuilding, and skilled workers need retraining. It’s expensive, complex and messy. Some European plants are running at reduced capacity, others are in limbo while manufacturers figure out how to build cars profitably in this new landscape.
Fuel for Thought
And that brings us to the interesting bit, alternatives. Porsche has been investing heavily in e-fuels, developing synthetic petrol that’s made using captured carbon and renewable energy. It means you could fill up a 911 in the future and drive nearly carbon-neutral, without losing the sound, the soul, or the simplicity of internal combustion. Hydrogen is also making a quiet comeback, especially for heavier vehicles and performance projects where batteries fall short.
Where It’s All Heading
So where does that leave us? Somewhere in between. The EV revolution hasn’t failed, but it’s certainly lost some charge. For enthusiasts, it means choice, and that’s no bad thing. We’ll see hybrids, clean-fuel combustion cars and EVs sharing the same roads for years to come. Porsche and its peers aren’t giving up on electricity; they’re just being smarter about when and how to use it.
The takeaway?
The future of driving isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s hybrid, it’s experimental, and it’s far from finished. The noise might change, the fuel might too, but the thrill of the drive? That’s here to stay.
Although personally I’d like to add - Fuck electric cars…
-JF