Uncertain Times
The automobile industry is going through very uncertain times as to the mode of propulsion: electric, internal combustion engine (ICE), hydrogen or something else. The Mackinsey Group conducted a survey among electric vehicle (EV) owners in the United States. It revealed a shocking result: 47 per cent of the existing EV owners want to switch back to either petrol or diesel cars. There are multiple reasons for this, with a majority of the owners saying charging is one of the main issues. Range anxiety is the second reason and the third is that one needs to plan one’s trip in advance; one cannot make a detour while on a road trip. If 47 per cent of the people in the USA want to go back to ICE engine cars, then the future of electric cars looks bleak indeed.
As of today, the best option is a plug-in hybrid. It is green and, at the same time, it entails no range anxiety.
Last month I was in the US. I saw the Tesla Cybertruck for the first time and I can say that I have not seen an uglier automobile in my life. One does see quite a few Tesla cars on the roads in California.
There are quite a few manufacturers who have made big investments in EVs but one does not know what the future has in store for them. Meanwhile, some of the big manufacturers have already backtracked on their promise about going 100 per cent electric in the near future.
The new Maruti Suzuki Dzire has scored a five-star rating in the GNCAP crash test and, presumably, this will silence the people who say that Maruti Suzuki cannot make safe cars.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
