The Green Piece – Tuesday 7th July 2009
Life has never run smoothly for the electric car. Once envisioned as futuristic, and the ultimate travelling option of the 21st Century, it has been maligned as slow, clunky and arguably not all that green at all.
Much of the criticism about electric cars has centred on the fact that even though they produce no emissions of their own, the energy they rely on merely displaces the problem. What’s more is that without any serious infrastructure in place they have little chance of taking off as a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine due to their limited range and low speeds.
However, in recent years, electric cars have finally started to answer some of their critics. As the National Grid places more emphasis on renewable energy, the criticism about displacing greenhouse gas emissions begins to disappear. The likes of Better Place and a host of others have poured cash into building electric car infrastructure; the Renault-Nissan Alliance has labelled electric cars a more viable alternative than hybrids; and the laughable image of electric vehicles as little more than golf buggies or milk floats, has been replaced with eye-catching super cars like the Tesla Roadster.
So are electric cars finally ready to take over the world? Not in the eyes of everyone…
Are electric cars just hype?
Speaking during a presentation at the 17th Handelsblatt-Jahrestagung in Munich on July 3, Professor Dr Martin Winterkorn warned that the world is witnessing an “electro-hype”.
The Professor, who is Volkswagen’s AG Chairman of the Board of Management, claims that experts, politicians and consultants are “tumbling over each other” with forecasts and that this is resulting in massively false expectations for the consumer. He said that more than eight per cent of drivers in Germany are “rock solid convinced” that the electric car is already here and that this development is dangerous, as it could lead to the loss of potential customers.
Electric cars, he believes, still face a number of stiff challenges. For one, they need to improve their energy capacity and recharge times which are, at the moment, “simply inappropriate”. He believes there is still a need for a corresponding nationwide network of recharging stations with uniform standards; and that electrics still face the problem of shaking off their image as an eco-niche to truly grasp mass market appeal.
Above all, he says, the question remains as to where the electricity comes from. He questions whether it ever makes sense for a car to operate with energy from a coal-fired plant.
And perhaps his most telling statement? He predicts that electric vehicles will hold a mere 1-1.5 per cent market share by 2020.
Plugging in to the future
Despite the criticisms, Winterkorn did announce that Volkswagen will be producing its first electric vehicles based on the Up! model (pictured) in 2013. Indeed the majority of vehicle manufacturers now appear to be revving up… or should that be charging up… for an electric car future including Nissan which has appealed to the US government for more low-interest loans in an effort to pour $518million into the production of a fleet of electric cars with around 50,000-100,000 to be produced by 2012 (for more read ‘Nissan to make serious US green car investment‘).
The UK is also leading the way in establishing electric car infrastructure thanks to the advent of the Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator scheme which will put £25million towards the creation of the world’s largest network of electric vehicle recharging stations. The scheme has committed to installing more than 500 roadside, car park, business and home charging stations by June 2010 as outlined in our article ‘Electric car trial to boost electric infrastructure’.
So while there’s no denying that electric cars still have a long way to go to win over the general public and wrestle us away from our reliance on petrol and diesel, it would seem abrupt to dismiss them as just hype. With Governments and car manufacturers alike finally getting serious about the electric car it seems the world is ready to embrace them.
Yes there are alternatives as improvements are made to combustion engines; hybrids thrive; and other technologies emerge such as fuel cells and natural gas powered vehicles. However, no one form of technology is receiving the attention, the investment and the commitment of electric cars. So while we shouldn’t expect too much too soon, it’s fair to say that electric cars are finally being granted an opportunity to become the serious solution we’ve always wanted them to be. And if this investment continues at its current pace perhaps our long-standing hopes can finally be replaced with real expectation.
Faye Sunderland
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