No one thinks EVs don't work in the cold, they just have severely shortened range. Which means you need a bigger battery, which means a heavier and more expensive vehicle. You also need faster and more frequent chargers. This is similar to the "Electric trucks can't tow" strawman. They absolutely can, just not very far . Either is a legitimate reason not to purchase an EV. As stated in the OP, these are wealthy nations where the government is heavily invested, which is smart, but the same doesn't apply everywhere.