(EVS ARE) THE FUTURE
Unchartered territory, we now enter. One inevitable certainty is the replacement of the internal-combustion engine with the electric motor, of which we've driven plenty. True, it’s not at all new. We have to recall the past once again to join the dots to the future. Clever engineers produced electric cars as far back as the early 1800s. These pioneers knew what the future ought to hold, if it were not for the heavy limitations of the lead-acid battery. These were too heavy and too short-lived. Speeds were pedestrian and distances expected to be covered, low.
Sales peaked in the early 1900s but then waned as a result of the consumer’s need for more speed and a much longer range. Then oil came to the fore, making the electric car redundant. So, just over 100 years later, we begin to pick up where we left off. The next 20 years will see the switch back, rst in congested cities and then fanning out across the globe. Interestingly, the average speeds in today’s congested city traf c are possibly the same as when the original electric cars were running at their maximum speed (minus the crowding). Not back to the future, but back to the past …
What does the future hold for classic cars we all enjoy seeing on our roads and are still owned by many? Perhaps we – the petrolheads of the planet – can persuade government to reduce the taxes on fuel so we can continue to indulge in nostalgia. By then (10 years’ time) the usage of fossil fuels may have dropped to a fraction of today’s volume, making up a smaller percentage of the country’s tax base. Additionally, with some good fortune, the price of oil will drop with greatly reduced demand and we will be free to enjoy classic-car get-togethers while only emitting a fraction of global carbon emissions.
Finally, if the likes of Elon Musk and others are correct, autonomous driving is on the way, too, and with greater use of robotic assistance. This may reduce stress levels, increase productivity and cut the dangerously high level of road accidents. Let’s keep up hope for a bright future and may the journey continue …