In recent years, electric cars have been hailed as the future of the automotive industry and the savior of the environment. Whether the latter is actually true is yet to be seen, however, the former is already becoming a reality. As technology has improved rapidly over the last decade, the potential of a switch from gas to electricity has become much more realistic.

History

The first practical electric car

Electric vehicles, or EVs, got their start back in the 1890s, not long after the introduction of gas-powered cars. They were actually very popular in their day, not because of the environmental advantages but instead for not having some of the disadvantages of early combustion engines, such as noise and smell. As more households gained electricity, the EVs continued to grow in popularity, at one point even making up 38% of all cars on the road. Unfortunately, as gasoline cars continued to push forwards in terms of performance and cost-efficiency, EVs fell behind.

That was until the early 21st century when traction picked back up. One company in specific championed the reintroduction of EVs. That company is known by nearly everyone today: Tesla. Founded by a group of engineers, including Elon Musk, Tesla’s goal was to reinvent the electric vehicle into a car that could keep up and surpass the internal combustion engine in terms of performance, max range, and cost. Even though the company started out with only a very expensive sports car on the market, the Tesla Roadster, it found significant success and other companies began to follow, including Nissan with their LEAF. Still, the lack of charging availability outside of the house was a huge deal-breaker for most.

In just the last few years, the EV market has taken huge steps forward, and it seems that the more attention it gets, the faster it improves. Charging networks, especially Tesla’s, are becoming a frequent sight at gas stations, range on many electric cars has now surpassed that of their gas counterparts, and performance metrics are incredible due to the nature of electric motors providing instant torque on the road. The market grew by 117.4% over just the first half of 2021 and is continuing to grow exponentially. Tesla still leads the market by a long shot, now with a full range of more budget and luxury sedans and SUVs, but nearly every car manufacturer has announced their own competitor in the last two years.

Tesla’s new Model S

Future

The future of EVs is clear then: they will almost undoubtedly take over. Unless something major blocks their path, the momentum behind the market is not stopping anytime soon. Most manufacturers have announced plans to move to a fully electric lineup anywhere between an ambitious 2025 and a distant 2040. The Biden administration has set a 50% EV target by 2030 and is offering things such as subsidies and tax breaks to help incentivize citizens to make the switch. The real question lies in if this is overall a good thing for the world.

Electrics cars have their perks. Their environmentally-friendly aspect is the biggest draw to them for many. On top of that, and not necessarily due to their electric nature but instead just the fact that they are new, EVs tend to be sleeker, more modern, and more technologically advanced than most gas cars on the market. Tesla has been a large reason for this, with many companies following similar design philosophies to Tesla. EVs are famous (or infamous) for their frequently included self-driving features that are rare in gas vehicles. This cool factor is definitely a contributor to their popularity which may wear off as time goes.

They do, unfortunately, still have issues though, which is to be expected for such a new industry. Charging is much better than it used to be, but it still requires a stop of up to 45 minutes at a gas station that may not have been on directly on your route just to recharge on a long road trip. Luckily, so much research and development is invested in this area that soon enough, it will be much more comparable to filling up a gas car. Range will also continue to improve, allowing you to go farther before charging. The other issue relies on their true environmental effect. The electricity they use still relies on oil to be generated almost all of the time. As renewable energy becomes more prevalent, this will improve, and even in its current state, the effects of power plants are less than those of gas cars. The second factor involves the creation and recycling of their batteries. The creation of the batteries themselves is a large source of pollution, but it is still less than gas vehicles. It also strains the supply of rare metals such as lithium, making recycling batteries important. However, the recycling of batteries is an issue that does not have a perfect solution yet, but there is also significant research being done to search for better solutions.

Even with their cons, EVs are the future. Hopefully, science can push them past their limitations of the present and make them the ideal form of transportation. Here’s to an electric future!