Electric Vehicles-Are We Ready?

Are we ready for Electric Vehicles?, which are in use all over the world and has been as early as 1997, in the Rav4 Electric Vehicles, by Toyota.

In the past, it was only possible to lease these earlier Electric Cars, but now we can privately own it.

Electric Vehicles Technology is being developed at an alarming rate, especially Lithium Battery technology, which powers the modern Electric Vehicle. What’s more, many companies are advanced in developing Autonomous, (Self-driven), Cars.


Are we ready for these futuristic possibilities?

As you begin to read this article, may I impress upon You to please leave feedback at the end?

Tesla

Tesla Roadster
Tesla Roadster
Tesla EV
Tesla EV

The company specializes in Electric Vehicles and Lithium-ion Battery energy storage and was founded in 2003. They gained infamy by their development of an Electric Roadster Sports Car in 2008.

They are synonymous with Electric Vehicles, as they are the only Automaker, that produces only Electric Cars, some say they are the leaders in Electric Vehicle technology, development and manufacture.

Tesla’s vehicles are produced at its factory in Fremont, California, previously home to New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. The Tesla Factory has returned thousands of jobs to the area and is capable of producing 2,000 vehicles a week.

Tesla claims to have a fully functional autonomous car in its advanced stages and claims that it can drive itself on a public road, but authorities are not convinced.

Tesla announced last week that it delivered 22,200 vehicles during the last quarter – 12,700 Model S and 9,500 Model X – and while it’s slightly below the company’s goal, it was enough to cross the mark of 100,000 vehicles delivered in the US. That is pretty impressive for a company which started out in 2003 and only produces Electric Vehicles.

FORD

Ford Focus EV
Ford Focus EV

As far back as 2010, Ford announced from its Dearborn headquarters, that it invested 4.5 billion dollars on electric car development and technology, they vowed to have as many as 13 new electric vehicle models in production by the year 2020. In 2025 more stringent emission controls,  worldwide,  will be implemented, therefore the push toward electric cars by both Ford and GM.

Ford announced that it hired 120 new engineers to work on their electric vehicle initiatives.

General Motors

Chevy Bolt EV
Chevy Bolt E 

The Chevy Bolt electric car is GM’s first long-range all-electric vehicle. It’s a compact utility vehicle with over 300Kms of range and a starting price of $37,500 before incentives. GM furthermore announced that they will use the Chevy Bolt platform to produce more electric vehicle models in their future product line up.

While GM has been boasting about the Chevy Bolt Electric vehicle being the first long-range affordable electric car, supplies have been fairly limited. It’s still not clear if the constraints are coming from production or demand since there are decent inventories in ZEV states in the US.

Mercedes Benz

Recently announced an investment of 500 Million Euros on their 2nd Lithium Battery producing factory and 35 million Euros in their battery research program. It has been revealed that the latest developed Lithium Cells could increase mileage from 300 Kms to as much as 1000 Kms on a single charge. The world premiere of new smart electric drive – now, for the first time, with smart for four. Market launch: the beginning of 2017.

BMW

In 2015, the automaker, BMW deployed 400 BMW i3’s electric vehicles in the city of Copenhagen. BMW announced that it will deploy, 400 all-electric vehicles and 150 plug-in hybrids – in all 550 electric vehicles across the city of Hamburg in Germany by the year 2019, they will also launch its electric Mini in the same year. The city hopes to have 1150 charging points installed all around the city in anticipation, by 2019.

BMW announced last week that its i3 sales increased by 50% in 2017, and has been positioning itself for moving more seriously in the electric vehicle space.

BMW even started meetings to warn employees that electric cars are coming and are here to stay, they announced production expansion for its upcoming electric car program.

Toyota

Toyota Mirai-Hydrogen Powered
Toyota Mirai-Hydrogen Powered

Toyota made two versions of the RAV4 electric car. The first was available only in California from 1997 to 2003, and about 1,500 were leased.

2012 to 2015 Toyota sold a completely different 2nd-generation RAV4 electric car, jointly developed with Tesla. It sold less than 2,500 units.

Toyota plans to jump into battery electric vehicle mass production by 2020.

Toyota’s answer to the electric car is the Mirai, it is an all-new hydrogen-powered vehicle from Toyota. In Japanese, Mirai means future,

The Mirai is an electric car that generates its own electricity, it does this in a fuel cell in which an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and air produces electricity to power the motor and some wastewater.

The electric motor produces 151-hp and 247 lb-ft of torque and is assisted by a 245-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery that stores regen braking energy and helps boost acceleration.

Compressed hydrogen is stored in two carbon-fibre lined tanks, it takes approximately five minutes to refill and has a range of roughly 300 miles. The Mirai is unchanged for 2017.

Nissan

Nissan Leaf EV
Nissan Leaf EV

Nissan’s ‘Leading Environmentally-friendly Affordable Family car’ or LEAF for short is changing the face of green motoring across the entire globe, was launched in 2010.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance committed €4 billion (around US$5.2 billion) into its electric vehicle and battery development programs with the aim to become the leader in zero-emission transportation.

In August 2013, Nissan confirmed the company had plans for 5 plug-in vehicles in the future. These 5 include the Nissan LEAF, the Infiniti LE, the Nissan e-NV200, and 2 not yet announced models.

By mid-2015, the Alliance ranked as the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer with global sales of over 250,000 units delivered since December 2010.

Sales have expanded to Ireland, the UK, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, with more countries such as South Africa now being added to the list.

FAQ

Nissan Leaf

How long does the battery take to charge?   From empty to full approx. 7 hours.

How often do I need to charge the battery?  Anytime, it does not have to be fully drained.

Can I control the battery’s charging time?   Yes, on the dash or remotely

How much power and torque do you get from the battery?   80 kW and 280 Nm

How far can you travel on one full charge?   Approx 180 Kms

What are the top speeds like?   145 km/h

How much will it cost to charge?   Only a moderate bump in your electric account.

As can be seen, every major automaker has either launched or have plans to develop and produce more electric car models, some even have several models ready for production.

Are we ready for the transition?, many owners of Electric Vehicles swear by it, although still relatively expensive, it will become more affordable with the development of its technology.

Many of you will recall cell phone technology when it was 1st introduced, a basic model cost quite a bit, as cell phone technology developed, it became cheaper to the masses, the same trends will be observed here, with Electric Vehicles.

If the above information is anything to go by I say that Electric Vehicles are here to stay,

More on Electric Vehicles

We Are Back to the Future.

How will these developments impact on the Automotive Industry and the Economy?

Will you buy an Electric Vehicles, at an affordable price?

What make will you buy?

Join The Discussion, Leave a Comment Below


Until Next Time “Safe Motoring” 

Gary De La Cruz

I have been 30+ years in the motor industry, still hands on, and have great passion for my chosen profession, I learn new things each day and believe that "if you enjoy your work, you never have to work a day in your life"I believe in honesty, integrity and helping where help is needed.

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Dario

    Thanks for this post, there is so many useful information sorted out in one post, which is nicely written.

    I think electric cars will be the cars of the future, however, it will be a big loss for oil companies.

    I have been recently watching Tesla cars, and they even have autopilot inside them! That’s really on another level.

    1. Gary De La Cruz

      Hello Dario
      Thank you for the visit, yes lots of changes will take place when electric cars become fully utilised, the oil business will be affected, but I believe that they will adapt to integrate into the electric car market such as charging stations, car service centers and so on, adaption has been a human and corporate trend for centuries and I believe that this is no exception, the transition will happen and all the stakeholders will ensure a market share.

      All the best Dario

      Gary

  2. Dhruv

    Hey gary,
    Though the future is electric cars, There’s a lot of framework that is needed.
    for example, like fuel station, we need more number of recharging stations. technicians/mechanics in roadside garages should be trained enough to fix an electric car if the car breaks down at unexpected time or place. Because if a conventional car breaks down, you don’t have to necessarily take it to the company authorized service center.
    Though this are my thoughts, I will love to hear what you think on this.
    Thanks in advance.

    1. Gary De La Cruz

      Hello
      Thank you for your visit and your insights, yes I have to agree that a basic framework is needed, and it will develop with time as the number of electric cars on the road grows, already mechanics and technicians are being trained up for the crossover, alliances are being formed amongst a host of stakeholders and I believe that when 2020-2025 comes around the infrastructure to maintain and repair electric cars will be firmly in place, all over the world, Tesla seems to be leading this with their commitment to free charging units which has been put in place in a number of locations around the world and the USA, so the only factor holding us back from buying an electric car at present is the affordability, at present, but that too will change in the near future. All the best.
      Gary

  3. John

    Like most vehicle owners, electric cars are in my thoughts when it is time to change. Up to now, they remain too expensive an option, but hopefully, within the next few years, we will be able to make the leap and start driving more eco-friendly cars.

    1. Gary De La Cruz

      Hello John
      Thank you for your visit, yes I and many others would agree that the electric car’s prices are high at present, therefore some electricity suppliers are offering incentives to make it more affordable to the masses, but as the technology advances, it will become more affordable, it is inevitable that the electric car will be the next evolutionary step in the automobile’s history.
      All the best John.

      Gary

  4. Geoff

    Interesting read, thanks!
    I’ve been following Tesla since well before their first roadster hit the streets and find it all pretty cool.
    I agree that the technology keeps getting more and more affordable to the point that we’ll all have the option soon to drive electric vehicles.
    Now that so many major players in the auto industry are on board, electric cars are here to stay.

    1. Gary De La Cruz

      Hi Geoff
      Thank you for the visit,I really appreciate your insights and comments on electric cars presence in today’s modern era.
      all the best Geoff

      Gary

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