This is a photo of a Tesla charging
Teslas charging in a parking garage.
  • Tesla's price war rocked the EV market this year.
  • A new crop of customers is baffling car companies and their dealers.
  • More options than ever make EV shopping more interesting.

The electric vehicle segment is experiencing a watershed year as long-held aspirations for the automotive industry meet with reality.

Electric car prices have taken a nosedive this year, led by Tesla's price cuts and deepened further by economic changes that have made shoppers more frugal. A change in the average EV shopper and buyer is also rocking the market, as the well of wealthy early adopters dries up and dealers are left to try to pitch EVs over hybrids and gas-powered vehicles. At the same time, a proliferation of new EVs has given shoppers more choices than ever before.