Electric vehicle revolution – what is it, and is it really happening?
A technological revolution is a period in which one or more technologies is replaced by another technology in a short amount of time. It is an era of accelerated technological progress characterized by new innovations whose rapid application and diffusion cause an abrupt change in society.
First, let’s see what an electric vehicle is? An electric vehicle is a vehicle that uses one more electric motors for propulsion.
Growth of internal combustion engine vehicles
Internal combustion engine vehicles are the common mode of transportation all over the world. You know Why weren’t electric cars implemented earlier even though the electric motor was invented a long ago?
Internal combustion engine vehicles are the most popular vehicles in the automotive industry. It is mainly due to the invention of IC engines which are matured and low-cost technology.
Abundant availability of fossil fuels also accelerated the growth of gasoline vehicles.
1886 is considered as the birth year of modern gasoline car when Karl Benz patented Benz-patent Motorwagon. American manufacturer Ford Motor Company widely developed gasoline cars after 1908.
The rapid or slow change of the automobile technology from internal combustion engine based to electric can be considered as an electric vehicle revolution.
How a revolution happens?
Have you read about the future of electric vehicles? We had an article about the future of electric vehicle, the factors that affect the growth of electric vehicle in the market.
Fifth avenue, New York City, 1900 
Fifth Avenue New York, 1913
Have a look at the photographs of Fifth Avenue New York which had been captured in 1900 and 1913 that show the differences of vehicles on the road.
It is hard to find a car in the first photograph which was captured in 1900. But it could not find a single horse cart in the second photograph which was captured in 1913.
An abrupt change in the pattern of vehicles happened in just 13 years!
Here we can notice that the advantages of gasoline cars, technological advancements, etc. fueled the growth of motor vehicles.
Why Electric cars are important?
Environmental pollution from automobiles, depletion of fossil fuels, other advantages of electric cars over gasoline vehicles make them the best choice for a customer.
The main pollutants from a car are
- Carbon monoxide: A car emits Carbon monoxide when the carbon in fuel doesn’t burn completely
- Hydrocarbons: A car’s exhaust emits hydrocarbons, a toxic compound of hydrogen and carbon
- Nitrogen oxides: When fuel burns, nitrogen and oxygen react with each other and form nitrogen oxides (NOx).
- Particulate matter: They are small particles of foreign substances — in the air contribute to atmospheric haze and can damage people’s lungs
Environmental protection agency estimates that 75% of carbon monoxide pollution in the US is from motor vehicles. Alternative fuel vehicles are one of the methods to minimize pollution from automobiles.
But vehicle manufacturers are mostly focusing on electric vehicles rather than any other technologies to minimize pollution. World’s popular electric vehicle manufacturers already declared their plans to manufacture and sell the electric vehicles.
The target that they set is so impressive!
Where does the electric vehicle revolution happen?
The Chinese market is the fast-growing electric vehicle market. They had surpassed the US market in 2005. China produces more than half of the world’s electric car batteries.
The Chinese government supports electric vehicle manufacturing and promotes EV based business so that to achieve electric mobility in the country.
Chinese manufactures aim is to sell 4.52 million annually by 2020
In Australia, 2017 electric vehicle sales were up more than 4000 percent compared to 2011.
Tesla plans to do 0.5 million electric car sales by 2018 and 1 million electric car sales by 2020. Volkswagen would sale 2-3 million electric cars by 2025.
Ford’s plan is to develop 13 new Electric Vehicle models by 2020. Volvo will sell 1 million cars by 2025.
Honda’s plan is to shift their 2/3 of total production to electrified vehicles by 2030. It includes BEVs, HEVs, and PHEVs. BMW will be selling 15-25% of their total cars as the electric vehicle by 2025.
By 2035, it’s estimated that there’ll be over 11 million electric cars bought every year worldwide, and more than half of those will be bought in China.
How does electric car revolution happen?
Factors affecting electric car revolution
- Government regulations and subsidies
- Infrastructure for electric vehicles
- Marketing of e-mobility benefits
- Cost competitiveness
Battey and charging facilities affects the growth of electric vehicles.
Electric battery revolution that fuels EV growth
The cost of batteries is one of the major hurdles standing in the way of widespread use of electric cars. The short life span of the battery also affects the popularity of the electric vehicle.
Interestingly, the cost of battery shows a steady reduction for past few years and the trend would continue for sure since the focus of researches are on electric vehicle batteries.
Growth of charging stations
Study of Marketwatch.com indicates that the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Market is expected to exceed more than US$ 30 Billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 40% in the given forecast period.
The global electric vehicle charging station market has witnessed vital growth in the recent past. The quickly rising popularity of electrical vehicles among customers has considerably contributed to the growth of the electric vehicle charging station market.
Both the growth of charging stations and electric vehicles are complimentary!
How to encourage and discourage the electric vehicle revolution
- 50 ways to slow down the electric car revolution – an interesting article!
- The factors affect the future of electric vehicles – details
Conclusion
Electric vehicle revolution happens slowly in the automotive industry. Many vehicle manufacturers already started the production of electric vehicles. The reduction of cost of battery fastens the rate of electric vehicle adaption.
Key points
- Electric vehicle captures the automotive market slowly
- The initial cost of an electric vehicle reduces due to the reduction of battery price
- All the countries decided to reduce pollution by promoting electric vehicles
- Depletion of fossil fuels accelerates electric vehicle market
