3 Good Reasons Electric Cars Are Finally in the Fast Lane
Technological development is advancing rapidly, and soon gas-guzzlers could be a thing of the past.
It’s no secret that I’m an electric car enthusiast. But what really puts a smile on my face is that electric cars are no longer a rarity on German streets! Over the last twelve months, since I plead my case for electro-mobility, a lot has changed. Back in November 2020, the German newspaper Die Zeit, for example, wrote, “The turning point is here.”
Nearly every automobile manufacturer is banking on models with electric motors, and these electric cars have been successful! In 2020, the total number of electric cars registered rose from half a million from the previous year to 1.42 million. Last December, there were nearly as many electric Volkswagen ID.3s registered as Volkswagen Golfs with combustion engines, and according to European sales figures, the all-electric Porsche Taycan has overtaken the iconic Porsche 911 for the first time.
Success: a catalyst for rapid development
The great thing is that the newfound popularity of electric cars drives the already rapid development of technology even further. There are excellent reasons to believe that electric cars will become more attractive in the coming years. After all, for some, a lot of the cons of purchasing an electric car today could quickly turn into pros. Here are a few examples:
1. Battery technology
Faster, less expensive, built to last: Soon, batteries will have changed so much that many critics won’t have any arguments left.
Many are aware that Tesla customers can watch shows and movies on Netflix on the onboard screen while waiting at the charging station. Well, if batteries keep on developing further, it might soon spark an unexpected renaissance of short film! That’s because the Israeli battery manufacturer StoreDot has developed a battery that can be fully charged in just five minutes. Even though it’s just a prototype and charging speed varies depending on many factors: A reduction in charging time is to be expected in the coming years.
Another battery prototype is also causing a stir: Engineers at Penn State University in the US have developed an extremely durable and inexpensive battery that be fully charged in ten minutes.
2. Raw materials and recycling
It’s justified to be against the consumption of natural resources for the production of batteries and electric motors. Electric cars impact the environment less than vehicles with combustion engines, but there is always room for improvement whether it’s conserving resources or the environment.
Many things in this field are moving in the right direction as well. A Chinese battery manufacturer developed a cobalt-free battery based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which has set a record in energy density. The German company Mahle has announced that it is developing a highly efficient electric motor built without magnets, meaning it can be produced without rare earths. On top of that, recycling batteries is getting smarter: At the Ajax Amsterdam soccer stadium, decommissioned Nissan batteries are storing solar power collected on the roof. Audi is working with the electric company EnBW to give batteries a second life as stationery storage cells.
Efficiently recycling the valuable raw materials in batteries will become a very lucrative business. You can expect to see a race to the top: Whoever recycles most efficiently will have the best business. A good incentive for companies and the environment!
3. Efficiency
Diesel has long been celebrated for its efficiency — and wrongly so! Author Andreas Burkert, for example, calculated that six liters of diesel would be equivalent to 42 kWh — an electric car could travel 200 kilometers with that in most cases. And development in this area is also picking up speed: Nissan, for example, reports that it achieved a thermal efficiency of 50 percent when testing a hybrid engine. This sort of value had previously only been measured in Formula 1 engines. And a test project by the grid operator NetzeBW has shown that the charging requirements of a fully electrified parking garage can be met with just a fraction of its maximum charging power.
Next-level driving
If you want to look back, check out my article from a year ago and compare it with where we are now.
What stands out is that almost all developments — in battery technology, resource consumption, and efficiency — have been announced within the past 12 months. The pace of development has increased rapidly. We can all look forward to electric cars that are just as much fun to drive as the current generation. Future models will have technologies that are on a completely different level.
If you’re not fully convinced of electro-mobility’s future, follow the news in the coming months and years. A lot will continue to change, and I’m going to be reporting on it all! The turning point is finally here, and change is happening fast.
Soon, cars with internal combustion engines may be the rarity on the road. What do you think?
