How electric and autonomous vehicles are changing the world

Whether by slashing emissions or reconfiguring our cities, the next generation of cars will turn the industry on its head.

The car industry is undergoing one of the biggest transitions in its history. Ten years ago, people bought electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce their carbon footprint and cut their fuel bills. Models such as the Nissan Leaf and

Mitsubishi i-MiEV were the EVs of choice, but their limited range and high price made them something of a rare sight on Britain’s roads.

A lot can change in a decade. Advances in battery technology mean electric cars now travel much further on a single charge, while competitive finance options and government grants serve to draw buyers away from combustion-engined rivals. The switch will have a huge impact on life as we know it. Petrol stations could make way for charging facilities, roads will become far quieter and – crucially – pollution levels will plummet, potentially leading to improved quality of life.

Electric pioneers

At any mention of electric cars, Tesla will likely spring to mind. The company, headed by South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, started making small electric sports cars in 2008, but its saloons and hatchbacks have turned it into one of the most recognisable names in the business.

Tesla delivered 321 vehicles during its third quarter in 2012, according to electric car news site CleanTechnica. By the same period in 2019, that figure had risen to a staggering 97,000.

The surge in demand has not gone unnoticed by the industry’s big players. After the 2015 diesel emissions scandal cost Volkswagen Group more than €30bn (£26bn) in fines, it switched its strategy to building electrified powertrains. As part of a five-year, $50bn (£39bn) investment “gamble,” says Forbes, the company will release a range of zero-emission models across the group – including the Audi and Porsche brands. Other big manufacturers are following suit.

A new model of ownership

Some industry upstarts are betting that drivers will soon stop buying cars entirely. Canoo, a California-based company founded by former BMW executives, believes the future lies in an EV monthly subscription. The “left-field” purchasing model brings “the convenience and affordability of a Netflix movie service to the auto industry,” says the Top Gear website.

Waymo, meanwhile, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, is pushing a future of driverless robot taxis. The company already has an autonomous ride-sharing service operating in Phoenix, Arizona. Waymo’s advantage is price, which could provide another incentive to abandon vehicle ownership.

A changing landscape

A wholesale switch to autonomous vehicles would have a big impact on infrastructure requirements. According to a study by Audi, multistorey car parks could store up to 60% more cars if they were adapted for self-driving models, which could slot into smaller spaces after their passengers have got out.

In an idealised future, a shared self-driving car would drop off one passenger and immediately pick up another, repeating the process all day, or until it needed recharging. But in reality, demand will dip between rush hours, and a poorly planned system could result in unintended consequences. If, for example, city parking remained expensive, selfdriving cars might be programmed to cruise around empty rather than stop in the nearest car park, using more energy and creating more congestion.

The legal landscape will have to change too. Traffic laws and parking regulations will have to adapt to a world in which there is no one person to take responsibility for a vehicle. If a self-driving car hits a pedestrian, would the occupant of the car be blamed for failing to intervene, or the pedestrian for being in the road? Or the maker of the sensor that failed to prevent a collision, or the carmaker for building and selling the vehicle?

Bold planning

Some manufacturers are taking the matter into their own hands. In October 2015, Volvo vowed to “accept full liability whenever one of its cars is in autonomous mode” and urged governments to create a watertight legal framework for driverless cars, The Verge reports.

In other parts of their business, too, carmakers are adopting new, more cooperative business models. BMW and Jaguar have joined forces to bring down the cost of developing battery technology and autonomous systems. And Volkswagen has paired up with Tesco to install 2,500 free charging points at its supermarkets by the end of 2020.

This gives customers another financial incentive to buy a new EV, on top of a £3,500 government grant. Make no mistake: the silent, driverless revolution has only just begun.