Pushback for Electric Cars
Electric cars seem to be taking a hit even earlier than we expected them to. Most manufacturers were being pushed globally to make electric vehicles (EV) by their governments rather than them voluntarily wanting to switch from petrol and diesel cars. The pushback has come from car-buyers who do not want to buy electric cars anymore. Some of the manufacturers had announced that they would stop the production of internal-combustion engine (ICE) cars and move to EV by 2030, but now they have retracted, saying that they would continue to produce ICE cars even after 2030.
The preferred choice today is a hybrid and it makes sense because one does not have to buy a car for city use and another for inter-city highway use. A plug-in hybrid serves that dual purpose well as it gives one enough range for one’s daily commuting and, at the same time, one can use the ICE for inter-city highway use. Incidentally, a plug-in hybrid car with a diesel engine can deliver nearly 100 kilometres per litre and that, you can safely say, is a “green” car.
The biggest issue with EV is that the world will be dependent on China for the supply of batteries and other components for their manufacture and that is not a good situation for the rest of the world.
Last month, there was an unfortunate incident wherein a 17-year-old boy driving a Porsche Taycan fatally knocked down two youngsters. The mishap occurred about a kilometre and half from where I stay and I would squarely blame the parents for being so indulgent towards their teenager son as to hand him the key to such a powerful car. It does not matter how well to do you are, it is mandatory to start driving a small and less powerful car and build your way up to a bigger and better one. Two people lost their lives for no fault of theirs in this accident. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the girl and the boy.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
