Why not kill the electric car this time

Despite a rapid rise in EV sales last year, it is still far from certain that battery-powered electric vehicles will take over as expected by those who are rooting for them. After all, there is a desert from 20 years ago, when a lightning-like future of a rose was ritually spun out and buried in the sands of time. Could this happen again? Could the interests of the fossil fuel vehicle industry sell the same destructive ploy again?

In 1999, you could rent an electric car in some parts of the U.S. for $ 399 per month, with a 142-mile range and capable of hitting 60mph in just 8 seconds. Putting this in perspective, these are similar specifications to the Honda it was unveiled last year, which shows just how advanced this vehicle has been for its time. It was called the EV1, and it was a slim two-seater seat that you could refill in your garage. They were well-liked by owners, but the company that made the car, General Motors, stopped the vehicle just a few years after it was launched and brought the cars back on the road. strongly, eventually crushing most of them. GM

GM

GM
has given museums and researchers a bit, but has disabled the driving routes, and has even taken legal action against anyone trying to rehabilitate.

The reasons for the cessation and destruction of the EV1 remain controversial to this day. They were well covered by an interesting 2006 documentary Who killed the electric car?, which is still available from some DVD and online rental companies. This program sets up a handful of “suspects” for the murder, from a lack of consumer interest, battery technology, oil companies, car companies and various government agencies. Even the hype around hydrogen comes in for accusations.

At the time of the documentary, GM said the EV1 was not economically viable, but a net of sales interests seemed to feel at risk, from oil companies fearing they would lose revenue. -into car companies fearing the low maintenance costs of EVs. There was also a lot of pressure from the likes of US President George W Bush and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger towards hydrogen as the real miracle fuel for the future of eco-friendly transportation.

Fast 20 years on and none of that weight is gone. The oil industry continues to fall sharply in demand for fuel if mainstream EVs are adopted, governments are concerned about the loss of fuel tax revenue, and retailers are worried about losing profit maintenance contracts. There are still scores of keyboard heroes out on social media arguing that we should wait for hydrogen that never reaches us and until then continue to run our diesel (or guzzling gas V8s in the US) .

But something has clearly changed, given the automaker ‘s announcements in the last few weeks. The main prosecutor in the EV1 controversy, General Motors, has officially become a GM and promised to focus on electric cars, with a plan to go fully electric by 2035. Jaguar Land Rover also going electronic by 2025, with Jaguar cars fully becoming BEVs by 2030 and Land Rover cars 60% BEVs by that date. Ford has released one of the most promising electric SUVs yet, the Mustang Mach E, and it has now been announced that, in Europe at least, all their cars will be EVs before mid-range. 2026. British sports car company Lotus, in the process of releasing its electric hypercar the Evija, ends the line on existing fossil fuel models and goes electronically from this out too.

BMW and Mercedes ’European brands are starting to introduce more mediocre BEVs into their model ranges, such as the BMW iX, although they are slightly behind the curve, but VW is entering with the A growing and popular ID. range of BEVan. One of Renault’s best EVs is with the Zoe, and PSA Groupe – now known as Stellantis – may only have about one electric drive shaft but it has been willingly installed in all types of cars, including vans. The latest is the very attractive Citroen e-C4, which is a homage to the classic GS of the 1970s and 80s, but in modern electronic form.

There are still many people who say long and point EVs at Dieselgate are an example of a type of engine that seems to be more efficient turning out to be a big dog business. EVs are expected to die as they did 20 years ago. But times have clearly changed. It would be nice to assume that the huge rise in interest in EVs and rapid sales growth is due to a growing awareness of climate change and a desire to go green to prevent it. But it’s more like just a real economy.

Revolutions like the conversion to BEVs do not usually come from the people who change the tune on their own. They have too much to lose from wholesale change in basic technology, and in some places (especially Germany) trade unions also hinder the replenishment of essential workers. General Motors had an amazing new vehicle in the EV1, but they couldn’t handle the physical changes that would be involved. Toyota has had similar problems. At the same time as the EV1, Toyota had the RAV4 Electric, but that happened in the same situation.

The obvious change is the arrival of Tesla

TSLA

TSLA
, with no responsibility for defense and Leader from the turbulent world of digital startups in Elon Musk. Manufacturers have tried to pour contempt on the platform, and before the Model 3 arrived, Tesla still looked like a novel sideline. But the huge sales success of the Model 3, quickly followed by the Model Y SUV, has quickly made Tesla the most valuable car company in the world. And money talks.

General Motors was probably right 20 years ago that there was no consumer demand for EVs at that time. But it’s clear now, and car manufacturers are increasingly realizing that if they didn’t jump on board it would be easy for them to leave with a very lucrative bandwagon. There are difficult obstacles to overcome over the next decade. The lack of cost infrastructure is one, the growing need for rare earth minerals in production is another, and there is another future need for recycled batteries and once again motors. But the car-buying public is increasingly demanding EVs, and there is money to be made. So this time, no one killed the electric vehicle.