Here’s the proof, electric cars soon ready for mainstream

If you’re looking to buy a car in the next several years chances are the replacement will be a hybrid or electric car. Why? Because they solve several problems present with the currently ubiquitous combustion engine.

Electric cars started out with a rough introduction, and GM’s failed EV-2 is a clear example of that. But lithium-ion batteries have evolved significantly since then and the performance of electric cars is on par with typical combustion engine cars now. They also use no oil, which means no trips to the gas station but more importantly it moves us further toward energy independence.

Of course, some would argue that the electricity flowing through our current power grid is largely generated by fossil fuels, but that’s changing as renewable energy sources like wind and solar take hold. The point is that electric cars enable us to take advantage of new sources of energy as they happen instead of requiring a single source like gasoline. They enable us to adapt.

What other problems do electric vehicles solve? According to AutoSpeed:

• They eliminate tailpipe emissions, which will cut carbon emissions and gradually reduce the amount of smog clogging our atmosphere.
• The existing electric infrastructure can fuel electric cars.
• Functionality and performance of electric cars is nearly equivalent to that of combustion engines
• Electric cars don’t require oil
• Use on a regular basis of an electric car costs less than a combustion engine by about half. “. . . an electric vehicle with a 40 kWh battery, battery cost of AUD$12,600, and a lifetime distance of 445,000km (3200 battery cycles). He calculates a lifetime cost of 2.8 cents/km - depending on the price charged for electricity, a total cost of 4 – 8 cents/km”

There are probably other good reasons for us to move to electric cars, but those are most of the core points. The challenge in the past has primarily circled around battery capacity, and advancements with lithium-ion have largely addressed the problem.

Now we just need electric refill stations peppered throughout the road system to provide a quick recharge, and a good marketing campaign to convince the masses.