Electric Vehicles – The Future Of Motoring ?

Electric cars , buses and trains have all been seen out in use across Europe. However is it the future of motoring/public transport? in this article we will examine the pros and cons of electric versus petrol and diesel power. Electric cars have actually been around a lot longer than most people think. At the start of the 20th century some of the first models of the electric car were being tested. However they were found to be slow and just never really took off. In the meantime , diesel and petrol became the two main fuels in cars for many years to come up until the present day where they are the main fuels/sources of power being used . However in the past few years there has been a resurgence in electric cars as there is a push for what is deemed to be more renewable and sustainable energy sources.

Main Advantages Of Electric Cars

Some of the main advantages of electric cars are as follows:

  • There is no road tax applicable to electric cars as they produce zero emissions
  • Electric cars have few upkeep costs as they do not use fuel and it is free to recharge them at an electric charging point
  • Newer electric cars such as teslas come as standard with advanced equipment such as satellite navigation , collision prevention technology and much more
  • Electric cars are less prone to breaking down as there are few moving parts in the engine as it is powered by electricity rather than a combustion engine
  • There are a number of government grants and incentives that subsidise the overall price of purchasing an electric car

Advantages Of A Traditional Car

There are on the other hand a number of unique advantages that traditional cars have that electric cars can’t always replicate. One such advantage is range. Some Diesel vehicles can travel over 800 miles without needing to stop to refuel. This contrasts with electric vehicles as most electric vehicles need to recharge within on average around 100 miles. Furthermore recharging can take several minutes longer than it would normally take to re-fuel. Another advantage traditional cars is overall feel and control of the car. Although technology is becoming very advanced and AI re being developed to help to control cars, in reality nothing can beat the natural reactions and awareness of a focused driver. Being reliant on too many computer systems could lead to a severe accident when one of them fails.  Furthermore many drivers feel that a traditional car offers a lot more feedback and control as to how the car is running and the way it handles. One of the criticisms of electric  cars has been that they feel too artificial.

Overall Conclusions

Overall there are a number of different conclusions that can be drawn from electric cars/vehicles. What is clear is that they have a positive impact on the environment as they contribute zero emissions. However more incentives are needed in order for people to access this technology as electric cars remain very expensive and hard to access on a lower income.