Draw the graph · Micro · Supply and demand
Electric cars and gasoline
Drag a curve sideways, or use its arrows. A curve you do not move is a curve you are saying stays put. Make each shift clear enough that a reader could see it.
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Demand shifts left. Supply stays put.
Electric cars are a substitute for gasoline in getting around. When drivers switch, they want less gasoline at every price, so the demand curve shifts left. Nothing happened to refiners' costs or technology, so supply stays put. The lower price then moves sellers down along their supply curve.
Price falls and quantity falls.
Common mistake. A common move is to shift supply left because 'stations sell less gas.' They sell less because buyers want less, and that is a demand shift. The fall in sales is the result, not the cause.
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Lesson: Shifts in Demand