IN 1900 ONE in three cars on American roads ran on volts. Then oil began gushing out of Texas. Cheaper than batteries, and easier to top up, petrol fuelled the rise of mass-produced automobiles. Cost and worries about limited range have kept electric vehices in a niche ever since. Tesla, which has made battery power sexy again in the past decade, produced just 250,000 units last year, a fraction of what Volkswagen or Toyota churn out each year.
They had better, carmakers are hoping. Worries about climate change and air pollution are prompting authorities around the world to consider phasing out new petrol and diesel engines in the coming decade. In the absence of federal regulations under America’s climate-sceptical president, Donald Trump, some progressive cities and states are tightening local rules.
Daimler and BMW, which has been bruised by losses on its poorly selling i3 electric hatchback, are hedging their bets by backing platforms that are able to accommodate petrol and diesel engines as well as electric motors. This should help them contain costs, but at the expense of compromises over battery size and layout. Sacrificing range and interior space in this way may dent brands built on luxury and technological prowess, says Patrick Hummel of UBS, a bank.
The most daring by a long way is VW. The German group’s heft—it produces 10m cars a year—affords it economies of scale only Toyota could hope to match. The €30bn VW plans to spend on developing EVs over the next five years, plus €50bn to fit them with batteries, leaves all other carmakers in the dust. In March Herbert Diess, its chief executive, promised 70 new electric models by 2028, rather than 50 as previously pledged, and 22m EVS delivered over the next ten years.
Just as this picture shows it will be the drop cords that will be the most important. 😉
It’s about time!
Batteries should be easily replaceable. A five minute stop at at battery exchange centre to provide more range should be all that is needed.
EV is a manufactures dream! Witness the beginning of the end 2 fossil fuel cars.
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