For car companies with big electric ambitions, 2021 is going to be a make or break year.
More than a dozen new electric-vehicle models are set to arrive in U.S. showrooms this year as Silicon Valley-inspired startups and established auto makers like General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG show drivers the results of billions in spending on the technology.
For consumers, that’s going to mean more plug-in options on the new car lot than ever before. But whether car makers can persuade buyers to ditch fossil fuels for good is still uncertain.
Many challenges remain for electric vehicles: not enough places to charge, limited travel range and sticker prices that are still higher than similar rides powered by conventional gasoline engines. An existing federal tax credit worth $7,500 aims to help bridge the price gap and industry representatives have said they hope to expand the benefit through new legislation.
