Given I'm not sure if you mean 'the problem of rampant consumerism' or 'not solving the problem via rampent consumerism' I'll put up thoughts on either front.

On the first, a sizable part of that could be reduced by returning to a 'buy it for life' mindset in our society. I always like to use an example of Grandma's kitchen table. Some people have the nice oak piece that's been passed through a few generations, scuffed and stained maybe, but as solid as ever. Many now though obtain the cheapest particle-board garbage they can from the local Walmart and see it as normal to have to replace it after a couple years. That disposable lifestyle doesn't help anyone other than the retailers and producers of cheap useless junk, nobody is going to be looking to build family memories at some glorified card table.

On the second, no, people buying for the sake of buying isn't going to solve things, but at least we can make the choices available less destructive overall. In some cases 1000 small actions are just what's needed of no one thing can do it all.

I'm still waiting for my hoverboard and jetpack.

Here's the story as I understand it. US automakers want to make expensive premium cars because those sell for high margins. The big breakthrough in the EV market over the past few years has been China EV makers figuring out how to make cheap and "good-enough" EVs, which are catching on in many places across the world. This is clearly the direction in which the market has to move (whether via Chinese or non-Chinese automakers) to spur mass EV adoption. In the US, however, the established automakers can rely on protectionism to block imports, this keeping the US market limited to big expensive cars that remain using ICEs.

You sound informed, more so than I. The heat pump thing confuses me, and I've seen it a lot lately.

I was under the impression that the vast majority of homes were using a heat pump system. Seems like a no-brainer? Is this not so?

EDIT: My HVAC is labelled a "heat pump" and no one around here had natural gas.

As a renter, I have no way to charge an electric car nightly. The availability of charging infrastructure outside of private homes will be more and more of an issue, unless battery tech significantly improves to be at parity with gas (e.g. I spend 10 minutes at a public charger as if I were filling a gas car).

The electric grid will be ready when it needs to be ready

Indeed. If the grid could not expand and would be overloaded, it works also be impossible to add more houses, offices or businesses. But it's no problem building those and connecting them to the grid, but EV would blow every fuse.

why are Chinese automakers able to bring down prices

Because their economy is entering a deflationary spiral built off of 25%+ youth unemployment.

Yes, unemployment lowers labor costs severely. That's.... not a good thing or a strategy we'd want to replicate.

The other thing the Chinese do:

1. Take over swaths of Africa to obtain cheap rare-earth metals. Use even cheaper African labor to extract Cobalt and other metals.

2. Ignore environmental regulations. Lithium is obtained by pouring sulfuric acid into mountains, and then draining the acid out the bottom which now contains Lithium. Its simply a very destructive process full of possible issues where the acid will contaminate the natural environment. China doesn't give a care.

3. Have huge amounts of unemployment to drive down labor costs lower and lower.

4. Create an export-driven economy, artificially deflating the Yuan to lower your currency. Yes, this lowers costs. But it also makes it harder to import goods.

There's a few things we should learn from the Chinese. They have invented incredibly efficient electronic lines in Shenzhen for example. But the bulk of Chinese policies that cause a decline in prices are... horrific. We should never do what the Chinese do on a grand policy scale.

Import-driven vs Export-driven economies have naturally different tradeoffs. Export-driven economies have lower costs but difficulty buying foreign goods. Import-driven economies have higher costs but easier time buying whatever we want from around the world. The most important question: is there a market out there in the world where someone is willing to buy our stuff? I... don't think so. So the only manufacturing we need in the USA is what we can't buy from elsewhere... or what we chose to make here (like cars, weapons, and some semiconductors).

They will continue to not build infrastructure and in five years we'll see this exact headline again. Self fulfilling excuses.