“Since EV technology is still relatively new, automakers continue to work the bugs out of their powertrains and platforms,” Elek says. “But we also see issues with their non-EV components, such as the latest infotainment and electronic features.”
They are mechanically simpler because they don't have hundreds of parts in a combustion engine and an automatic transmission, but their overall complexity is much higher.
You have all of the electrical system out of a modern car(fucking complex) with all of the systems needed to handle the electric motors and batteries.
It is the different between a flip phone and a smartphone. The smartphone isn't simpler because it doesn't have as many buttons or a hinge.
There's tons of electronics in a combustion engine too and transmission too, and infotainment bloatware is not exclusive to EVs at all.
The electronics in the actual EV powertrain lean more to beefy than complex, as well. A line that carries hundreds of amps and volts isn't going to fit on a standard chip wafer, at least not without a lot of help.
There are far, far, far fewer components for an EV than an ICE.
Their ECU/computer sensors are likely even less sophisticated than ICE ones, especially when it comes to ignition timings, interference engines, etc. There's just WAY more things that can go wrong with an ICE.
The difference is ICE manufacturers have had over a century to get feedback and improve, and EV's have had a tenth of that.