Tesla is the only EV brand with negative perception, and it’s getting worse
Tesla is the only EV brand with a net negative brand perception, according to the Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report – and much of the negative shift has happened in the last 6 months.
The Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report (EVIR) surveyed 8,000 US consumers to ask them questions about electric vehicle purchasing decisions, both asking about brands and finding out what they value in an EV purchase.
The most notable result of the survey is that consumers had the most negative view of Tesla – and in fact, Tesla is the only brand in the survey which received a net negative brand image.
When asked whether they have a positive or negative view of Tesla, 32% said they have a “very” or “somewhat” positive view combined, but 39% said they have a “very” or “somewhat” negative view.
This means Tesla has a -7% net score, behind even VinFast, which has a 0% net score (mostly because most surveyed hadn’t heard of the Vietnamese brand).
As for other brands, ironically, the top-ranked EV brand was Honda, a company that only sells one full BEV in the US, the Prologue (which people like and is selling great), which it didn’t even make itself, but rather made it in partnership with GM. Chevrolet scored well also, third place overall in brand perception.
The other EV startups (Lucid, Rivian, Polestar) did tend towards the bottom of the table, but this was largely because they had comparatively lower brand awareness, and thus their net positive numbers could not have been much higher (Lucid, for example, had 9% positive and 4% negative scores). Tesla, however, had both extremely high brand awareness and negative brand association. (But you have heard of me…)
Tesla’s score gets even worse when “view intensity” is taken into account, with people 13 points more likely to have a “very negative” view than a “very positive” one.
This negative brand perception persisted through all income brackets, regions and ages, with Tesla holding last place in each category.
In every category save one, when asked whether they would consider purchasing a Tesla, the most common answer was “would never consider.”
Tesla also ranked last in a comparison of various home EV charger brands and home battery brands, with more consumers saying they “would never consider” it.
Similar numbers appeared in a question about “brand trust,” where Tesla again had negative net trust, and a much higher “distrust a lot” score than its “trust a lot” score.
Tesla performed slightly better in perceptions of safety (second last) and family-friendliness (fourth from last), but did well in perceptions of luxury, holding fifth place overall out of eighteen brands.
According to this survey, the drop in Tesla brand perception has been quite recent. EVIR asked how views of Tesla had changed over the last 6 months. 46% said their opinion hadn’t changed, but a total of 38% of people had a “more” or “much more” negative perception, versus 16% who had a “more” or “much more” positive perception.
This, again, becomes more of a severe difference when you look at the most intense answers: 27% had a “much more negative” perception, while only 6% had a “much more positive” perception – a 4.5x difference.
Overall, over the last 6 months, there was only a +1% net change in consumers positive perceptions of EVs as a whole, so this drastic recent change was limited to Tesla, not other brands.
There was one piece of good news for Tesla, though: when asked which sort of public charging equipment consumers would most prefer, Tesla came out on top… except it also came out on top of the list that consumers would least prefer.
EVIR also asked what the factors driving consumers’ interest or disinterest in purchasing an EV.
Consumers recognized the benefits of EVs, with the top factors driving EV interest being gas savings, environment/climate change, and the ability to charge at home. Consumers who were already considering buying an EV found these to be more important factors than consumers who said they aren’t thinking about an EV yet.
Unfortunately, consumers also fell victim to the myths they’ve long been told about EVs. We’ve seen for a long time that consumers claim that range is one of their main concerns with EVs, despite that there are plenty of EVs available with way more range than you actually need.
In the EVIR, consumers ranked “length of range on a battery charge” as their top concern, even though EVs on average have enough range for a full week worth of driving from the average driver.
The second and fourth concerns, “availability of charging stations” and “I couldn’t charge at my residence” are much more pertinent. While it’s common for non-EV drivers not to recognize how many chargers are available, this is an area where the EV industry could definitely improve (I’ve long been on record saying that charger availability, especially for apartment dwellers and street parkers, is the only real problem with EVs – and that solving these problems will help people recognize that giant range numbers are not as necessary as they think).
Happily, the NACS transition will help to solve a lot of these problems, along with the existence of new well-funded charging networks like IONNA.
You can check out the full Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report here.
Electrek’s Take
As we’ve been warning people about for quite some time now, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is doing his best to completely destroy Tesla’s brand.
As an EV publication, we have the same mission as Tesla – to advance sustainable transport. In order for that to happen, we obviously want the (formerly) largest EV company in the world to do its job the best it can.
The problem is, Musk doesn’t have that mission, and has been doing his best over the last year(s) to ruin Tesla’s brand perception with increasingly idiotic decisions, both in terms of his public advocacy and his work within Tesla.
Musk’s high-profile political advocacy, which has included support for German neo-Nazis and agreeing with a defense of Hitler’s actions in the Holocaust, among many other white supremacist statements, has driven protests against the company, embarrassed owners and pushed many customers away.
This report shows the effect of the constant drumbeat of bad Tesla business moves and horrendous public behavior by the company’s CEO. The company’s employees, for the most part, are still working to try to make good electric vehicles, but Musk is spending the money he made from selling EVs to try to ruin EVs – something that the company itself had to call him out on in its quarterly report (and which the formerly-more-lucid Musk would have opposed just a few years ago before he forgot how climate change works).
Unfortunately, Tesla’s board seems content to destroy the company, and its shareholders do too, as they voted again last year to give Musk $55 billion in exchange for his bad leadership, an award that is greater than the total amount of profits Tesla has made over its entire lifetime. That pay package was stopped by a court for violating corporate law.
We’re not sure what’s going to many any of them wake up to Musk’s destruction of the company, but this report is just one more data point showing how severe the situation has gotten.
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Environment
Heybike Ranger 3.0 Pro review: 28 MPH foldable fat-tire e-bike with full-suspension comfort
I’ve tested a lot of folding fat-tire e-bikes over the years, and while many start to blend together, the Heybike Ranger 3.0 Pro managed to stand out with a thoughtful combination of design, comfort, and surprising feature upgrades. This is a beefy, full-suspension folder that feels more like a mini-adventure bike than a commuter machine – and I mean that in a good way.
Heybike Ranger 3.0 Pro video review
Want to see what it’s like to take a spin on this fun, fully-suspended ride? Check out my video review below.
Heybike Ranger 3.0 Pro tech specs
- Motor: 750W rear hub motor
- Top speed: 28 mph (pedal assist), 20 mph (throttle)
- Battery: 48V 15Ah (Samsung cells)
- Range: 55 miles (claimed), ~40 miles real-world
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Tires: 20” x 4.0” fat tires
- Suspension: Front hydraulic fork + rear shock
- Extras: Color LCD display, LED head & tail lights with turn signals, full-suspension, smartphone app connectivity, passcode and NFC chip theft protection, and included fenders & rear rack, UL 2849 certification, and IP65 water resistant
- Price: $1,499
Built for comfort, ready for (almost) anything
Right off the bat, what struck me most was the comfort. The Ranger 3.0 Pro is rocking a dual suspension setup, with a hydraulic front fork and a rear shock that actually does its job – something I can’t say for all folding e-bikes. Combined with those big ol’ 20×4.0 inch fat tires, you’re looking at a ride that soaks up potholes, curbs, and trail bumps like a champ. In fact, I probably could have been fine with 20×3.0 inch tires for the extra agility, but the 4-inch tires do add even extra cushion.
Whether I was cruising around the city or taking a detour through a grassy park, I felt like I was nearly gliding, or at least as much as a modestly priced full-suspension e-bike can give you that feeling. The 750W rear hub motor had plenty of torque to get me up hills, and the 28 mph top speed on pedal assist (20 mph on throttle) made it feel more like a moped than a bicycle.
Of course those are just the compliance numbers, and the real ‘peak’ power is 1,200W which helps explains why the bike feels more than powerful enough for the type of everday adventures most of us get up to.
Smart looks and smarter features
Design-wise, Heybike gets a thumbs up here. The frame is sleek and hides the wiring well, and the finish on my test unit looked just as good. The fold is solid – tight enough to toss in a trunk, but still robust enough to feel planted while riding.
Of course, the 75 lb (34 kg) bike doesn’t do you any favors with heft when it comes time to fold, and you’re still lifting half of that weight up to fold the bike in half. But at least the folding mechanisms are about as smooth as they can be.
Under the hood, the Samsung battery cells powering the 48V 15Ah battery give a real-world range of 40+ miles (65 km) with moderate pedaling, even if they claim a maximum range of 90 miles (145 km). The UL 2849 certification adds peace of mind, since UL-compliance is becoming increasingly important in the North American e-biek market.
Another big plus is the IP65 water resistance. That’s a step above the usual “don’t get it too wet” warnings you see on some budget folders. It’s not quite ready for powerwashing (That’d be IPX6), but at least riding through a typical rain shower shouldn’t fry your e-bike.
I also appreciated the hydraulic disc brakes and 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, which are nothing groundbreaking, but solid components that elevate the ride experience. They give you plenty of stopping and plenty of gears for us recreational riders and commuters that don’t necessarily need top shelf parts at top shelf prices.
Tech that might be too smart
The Ranger 3.0 Pro comes with some fun high-tech features, including NFC card unlocking and PIN code security via the built-in display. It’s kind of cool to feel like you’re unlocking a high-end scooter or an e-motorcycle. But after a few days of riding, I’ll admit, I just wanted to get on and go without needing to keep swiping my card.
These features aren’t bad – in fact, they’re great for people who park their bike in public places often. But for me, they felt like an extra step I had to go through each time I hopped on. I would’ve loved a simple toggle in the settings to disable them entirely if I wanted. Still, for those who value theft deterrence and geeky gadgets, they’re a win.
And speaking of the settings, there are a ton of options in there to play with, allowing you to dial in different aspects of the bike’s power delivery, speed, and other digital functions as well.
Final thoughts
At $1,499, the Heybike Ranger 3.0 Pro isn’t trying to be the cheapest fat-tire folder on the market, but it is trying to be one of the most affordable dual suspension folders in the market. And it largely succeeds, not just by scoring a low price, but by doing it while still providing decent parts and good performance. I was worried that we’d see too many corners cut, but there’s still definitely plenty of meat on these corners.
Between the dual suspension, hydraulic brakes, UL certification, and water resistance, it feels like a complete package for riders who want a comfortable, practical, and capable e-bike that folds up and fits in your life. It’s not ultra-light, and the smart security features might not be for everyone – but the overall execution makes this a strong contender in the fat-tire folding e-bike space.
Whether you’re commuting through town or heading out on weekend adventures, the Ranger 3.0 Pro delivers on comfort, performance, and peace of mind.
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On today’s extreme episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got the most affordable new EV in America packing 255 miles of range, sub-30 minute charging, V2H support, and more – all that for a price about $10,000 LESS than that new “affordable” Tesla.
We’ve also got specs for the all-new, all-electric Ferrari Elettrica and a world’s first, hydrogen-powered autonomous farm tractor from Kubota.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Climate XChange, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to help states pass effective, equitable climate policies. The nonprofit just kicked off its 10th annual EV raffle, where participants have multiple opportunities to win their dream model. Visit CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek to learn more.
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Momentum, the lifestyle-focused urban bike brand under Giant Group, has just launched the latest version of its popular Vida E+ electric bike – and this one’s all about making e-biking smoother, safer, and more accessible to riders of all experience levels.
The updated Vida E+ features a new 500W SyncDrive Move S motor offering 60Nm of torque and pedal assist up to 28 mph, designed to provide natural-feeling power whether you’re cruising to work or just exploring around town. The system uses a combination of sensors to analyze torque, speed, and cadence, automatically adjusting power output to match your pedaling effort.
According to Momentum, the motor engages with as little as 4Nm of pedal pressure and just 10° of crank movement, giving riders what they describe as an ultra-smooth and effortless start every time.
A new optional throttle adds another layer of convenience, letting riders cruise at speeds up to 20 mph without pedaling, which should be perfect for hills, traffic-heavy starts, or when you just want to relax and take it easy on the way home. The bike’s EnergyPak 700 battery provides up to a claimed 55 miles (88 km) of range on pedal assist or 43 miles (69 km) on throttle-only riding.
The Vida E+ also leans hard into comfort and safety. It sports a low-step aluminum frame for easy on-and-off, an 80 mm suspension fork, and wide 26×2.4-inch tires for stability and plushness. Four-piston hydraulic disc brakes ensure solid stopping power, while a new automatic motor cutoff feature stops assistance as soon as the brakes engage. The bike is UL 2849 certified, meaning it meets top-tier safety standards for batteries and electronics, which is a growing priority in the e-bike world as more cities and states consider requiring safety certification as a prerequisite.
With support for up to 300 pounds (136 kg) total load and optional racks front and rear, the Vida E+ is also built for everyday utility. And on the tech side, momentum’s RideControl app lets riders fine-tune speed and assistance, lock or unlock the bike electronically, and monitor battery health.
The new Momentum Vida E+ is available now through Giant Group’s nationwide dealer network with an MSRP of US$2,480.
Returning from a recall on its previous bike, Giant Group will now have an opportunity to see how the new version of the Momentum Vida E+ will fare.
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