Median age of cars in the US is ~12 years, but has trended up since 1970 when it was ~6 years, which I assume is due to more reliable and durable vehicles.[1]
25% of cars are 16+ years old.[2] So by 2051, you'd expect 25% of cars to still be on the road.
For light trucks, the average age was 19 years old.[2]
How much quicker are those cars going to get retired out quicker when resale prices start dropping and gas prices start increasing so gas stations can stay profitable?
There is a whole economy around keeping ICE vehicles on the road. Without a constant supply of new ICE cars that economy gets trashed.
SF is a wealthy city, but drive around some of the low income neighborhoods and look at the cars. They are 15+ years old and will be driven until they no longer work. These folks can't afford a new ICE car, let alone a new EV car (they don't have garage to charge anyways). These folks will be buying the used ICE cars in 2035 and driving them for another 15 years.
There will be a big enough market for ICE cars and gasoline for a while.
No doubt we'll see ICE cars disappear, but I just don't think it will happen that quickly.
Gas stations are already on decline in SF as more profitable businesses (and housing) find better uses for the land. If there are even 10% fewer gasoline cars cars on the road, that puts a huge dent in profitability those stations.
People may want gasoline cars, but owning one is going to be a hassle, particularly in places where real estate is at a premium.
> These folks can't afford a new ICE car, let alone a new EV car (they don't have garage to charge anyways).
The cost of EVs is coming down fast and will continue to decline. The cost of used EVs will also come down quickly, particularly since right now newer models are quite a bit better than EVs just a few years old.
> No doubt we'll see ICE cars disappear, but I just don't think it will happen that quickly.
"Quickly"?
There is nothing quick about it. We're talking about 25 years in the future as opposed to 50 years in the future. It's just your idea of cars driving around for a 15 years with no gas stations and increasingly hard to find mechanics that I question.
25% of cars are 16+ years old.[2] So by 2051, you'd expect 25% of cars to still be on the road.
For light trucks, the average age was 19 years old.[2]
[1]https://wolfstreet.com/2018/08/21/average-age-of-cars-trucks... [2]https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/28/25percent-of-cars-in-us-are-...