The Failure of the Electric Car
By: Severin Anderson
Electric cars have always been a thing of the future. The promise of a “green” mode of transportation is something that most people would love to have. Until recently, only a few manufacturers have even attempted the mass production of electric vehicles. The early attempts by General Motors (GM) in the 1990’s to mass produce electric cars mostly ended up in failure. Electric car customers were forced to deal with long re-charging times, a much lower range compared to gasoline powered cars, higher vehicle costs, and limited model styles to choose from. Though some were willing to make these sacrifices, the vast majority were not, which ultimately led to the end of electric vehicles 20 years ago.
In 1996, General Motors released the first mass produced electric vehicle, the EV1. This was a 2 door passenger vehicle that was 100% electric. This was a direct effect of the California Air Resources Board, which required the top 7 automobile manufactures (at the time) to produce an all-electric vehicle to combat vehicle emissions. This was a new requirement to continue selling cars in California, so GM naturally was on board, but not without its own doubts. At the hesitation of GM, the EV1 was available for lease only in California and in a select few areas of Georgia. For unknown reasons, GM never made the EV1 available for purchase to consumers. Though many loved the car, many did not like its restrictive nature when it came to
The world produces around 85 million barrels of oil each day. About a quarter of that percentage goes to the United States of America, which is used up mostly by means of transportations. Most people get around from place to place using a car, a car that is powered by fuel. Everywhere one goes driving, they will eventually run into a gas station but not a charging station for electric cars. Regular cars, burn off fuel that produce emissions (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur) that pollute and harm the environment. Although, there are some positives about switching there are also some problems that could appear but could be fixed. Electric cars have the potential to reduce the amount of pollution in the environment, boost the national economy and help
The U.S. electric passenger car industry in 2011 was described as being in its infancy, because it is still a new concept to buyers. However there are signs of growth from 2011-2015. Buyers do not consider the car because of price, travel range and vehicle size, along with other secondary concerns.
The movement to electric vehicles has been a slow process. It has always been dictated by consumer desires, price, and practicality. There are predictions that the electric car market will reach 7% of total car sales by 2020, and there are some who think the market will be much bigger by then. We’ll see!
At a first glance, electric vehicles create a facade showing off the newest innovation in efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. Yet, behind the masks that these manufacturers hide behind, there is a vault that holds all the funds they have essentially scammed the smartest consumers out of. Have you ever questioned the production procedure involved in the creation of these glorified pieces of sheet metal? Never! Who cares, right? A simple Wikipedia search exposes the fraud used by manufacturers. Most electric vehicles share the same facility as their gas counterparts. Prioritizing the safety of our planet, alternative energy sources have been identified and have been put into effect. It’s name? Oil.
Electric cars impose a serious risk on the oil and gas industry. The extent by which this market succeeds reciprocally defines the extent by which the oil and gas industry deteriorates. As with all forms of technology, there comes a point in time where one form of technology no longer appears to be useful in comparison with an applicable alternative. The current inhibitors of electric car adoption are the price of batteries and vehicle performance. With that being said, battery prices dropped over 30% just last year and are expected to continue dropping. Projections estimate that 35% of cars will have a plug by 20401. However, even in the next few years, companies such as Tesla, Chevrolet, and Nissan plan to offer electric cars on the market at an affordable price. The question then becomes: when the oil and gas market will be displaced by the electric market? If both markets produce a vehicle of similar price and quality, then it is reasonable to assume that a customer will choose the option that is more eco-friendly. The moral issue still remains: should the vehicles of tomorrow be fueled by gasoline or are viable options readily available and acceptable?
In 1830 the first electric car was made. It impacted how cars could be made. First generation electric cars paved the way for modern EVs because they can be more efficient, are getting increasingly popular , and more safe. Electric cars are influencing our technology and our economy. Electric’s are helping the world and “Ultimately, all-electric cars will reduce America’s dependence on petroleum” (Bell,11). because our existing oil is running low. Also electric cars are getting noticed now. Unlike in the late 1900s where they are being produced but were too expensive to buy and weren't practical.
After the success of electric cars in the West, manufacturers from around the globe are entering into this business. With more players in the market, the competition is expected to be intense.
General motors is a relevant social group because they are the ones who manufactured and sold the EV1. They originally decided to abide by the
Across the world and for years governments have promoted the usage, production, and purchasing of electric vehicles. The first big push for electric vehicles was in 1998 in the state of California with the mandate that stated, “ a small percentage of vehicles sold after 2000 [ must have] zero emissions”( Baumgartner et Gross 35). This pushed many small and large vehicle companies to begin to look towards producing hybrid and electric vehicles. Another big push for electric vehicles in the United States was in 2005 when soon to be President Barack Obama advocated that” the United States [would] have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015” (Barkenbus 56). Despite this goal never being met, without a doubt it promoted and furthered electric vehicles. Outside of North America in Europe, electric vehicle incentive is also prominent. Writing in October of 2000, Jack Barkenbus states “France is likely to be at the forefront of advocating electrical vehicle usage because of [their] nuclear power” (Baumgartner et Gross 35). This prediction was correct France now offers recharging services for electric vehicle owners. Another European country offering an incentive for purchasing electric vehicles is Switzerland. “Switzerland rewards individuals who take part in [electric vehicle promotion] by offering direct subsidies when buying a car”(Baumgartner et Gross 36). All of this incentive and promotion has been worthwhile, writing in 2017 Jack Barkenbus states that, “thirty percent of all new cars sold in the last quarter of
Through life journey most everybody had a car at one point in time but not too many people had an electric car. In a one on one interview with Marland Patton, who is a mechanic, give his advice on the electric car. His thoughts on the electric car was it has it benefits and loses. He goes on to say that, the maintenance cost yearly greatly exceed the amount of gas car.
America today has an addiction, gasoline an overpriced fuel that we use daily in our lives. In the film Who Killed the Electric Car they talk about the murder of the electric car, a car that is eco friendly, reliable, and is not costing us lives in the middle east. This addiction we have is costing us lives, over using natural resources, and prices are going up every year. The electric car is not just a social problem it is a political problem that has gone for profit than to actually solve economic issues.
Electric cars are becoming very popular in today’s world and are becoming more main stream. One reason for this is the need for automobiles that have a lower or a zero carbon footprint. For the majority of the history of the automobile, the propulsion system was a gas or a diesel engine that would run off of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels is very hazardous to our world and also creates much toxic pollution. However, electric cars run off of electricity, which is a very clean and pollution free resource, depending on how the electricity was produced of course. In this paper we are going to examine the history of electric cars, look into modern electric car technology, and peer into the future of electric car technology to see if EVs might be the answer to dramatically reducing our global pollution.
Technology has been advancing since the turn of the century at an unparalleled pace with the constant announcement of new gadgets and innovations. Of the thousands of new technological advancements made in the past decade, the introduction of the electric car has been the most widely discussed topic. Electric cars are one hundred percent emission free and can replace the fire spitting, bone chilling sounds of a thunderous gasoline engine with the eloquent silence of luxury and speed. However, as with all things technological, electric vehicles have their problems. Electric cars have several benefits and could possibly replace gas cars in the future, but they are not refined enough to take over the world today because of a few technicalities
This was a new and untapped market and Tesla needs to develop a marketing plan that will allow them to stay ahead and be the sought after brand in electric vehicles. They cannot simply rely on word of mouth like they have been doing in the past.
Many other people continued the development and improvement of electric automobiles and for a time electric automobiles were the preferred type of Automobile because of their quiet ride, quick start-up, and lack of pollution. In fact electric automobiles held the land speed record well into the early 1900’s. However, they began to decline in the early 1900’s because of the increased prevalence and efficiency of the internal combustion engine.