News about electric vehicles is a daily occurrence. Reports indicate we need to replace gasoline-powered cars with their electric counterparts if we want to save the atmosphere from further destruction.
With all the media reports about Tesla, one might think electric cars are everywhere, when in fact they make up less than 2% of the automobiles in the United States. Analysts predict that by 2035 electric vehicles will represent 25% of all cars manufactured. By the year 2050, that number increases to 60%, but the majority of cars on the road will still run on gasoline. This is because cars today last 10 to 20 years, and many people will not be able to afford a new electric car and will opt for a used gasoline-powered car. The state of California is planning on ending the sales of all gasoline-powered cars by 2035, an immense goal to say the least. However, many states agree with what California wants to do. There are many variables that come into play, only time will tell how this plays out.
Currently, the electric car battery charging infrastructure is very limited, causing a huge inconvenience when compared to the vast number of gas stations. If you drive 20 to 50 miles a day, you can charge your car at home, which can take up to 10 hours depending on the battery level and type of charging system you have. Some employers are offering plug-in stations to their employees. The big problem is when traveling long distances and trying to figure out how to make it to the next charging station, if that’s even possible. Most people buy electric cars to save money and the environment. The current average cost per kilowatt-hour makes driving electric cars more economical, but as fossil fuel power plants are phased out, their replacements: solar, wind, geothermal and others, are a more expensive source of power. These sources of power raise kilowatt-hour cost considerably, and could very well counter any savings when comparing gasoline-powered cars to electric-powered cars. At that point, the only advantage will be electric cars have zero emissions. Something often overlooked is the fact that the lithium-ion batteries they utilize can also have a negative effect on the environment when they are disposed of in landfills and spontaneously combust.
There are currently many incentives to buy an electric car and these could increase as the government pushes for more electric cars in the future. Also, gasoline prices and gasoline-powered car registrations will likely increase to persuade people to make the switch to electric-powered cars. But regardless, here in the United States and worldwide, there are millions of gasoline-powered cars on the road today. The probability of all gasoline-powered cars being obsolete in our lifetime is unlikely. There are numerous hurdles in place which will make it a very long process.
While I can understand the need to save the environment for our future generations, I feel anxious when I think about the demise of the internal combustion engine. This is to be expected from someone who has experienced the joy of building high-performance engines and knows an electric motor will ever compare to the intoxicating exhaust note of a finely tuned internal combustion engine.
Will I ever purchase an electric car? Probably, but I will never be without a gasoline-powered car.
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