Just about every week vehicle manufacturers are coming out with news about the future electrification of their fleet. Volvo made a huge splash by announcing the electrification of their entire brand. Pretty much every German brand is diving in, trying to put the word diesel in the rear-view mirror. Aston Martin is shifting their entire line-up to hybrids and EV’s. So are Jaguar and Land Rover and Lincoln. And Tesla is in the news just about every day.
We’ve reached a tipping point – Toyota and Chevy and Nissan started the ball rolling away from the internal combustion engine, Tesla added a ton of fuel to the fire, and now the luxury makes are ramping up and accelerating the process. Electric is going to eventually push gasoline motors into the background.
Consumer demand is steadily growing for electric vehicles, and responsible government entities and businesses are pushing for electrification as we continue to see the spiraling effects of climate change. But beyond these elements, the main factor driving the change is rapidly improving cost economics. In roughly 10 years, battery electrics will cost on par with internal combustion engines.
Think about the changes that could/will happen with electrified cars and trucks everywhere:
- Quieter roads. We have become inured to the noise that cars and trucks make, but imagine the benefits to everyday life from less engine noise. Not to mention less fumes to breath in.
- On the flip side, we are going to have to retrain our ears since cars will sound differently. As we walk down the street with our eyes glued to our smartphones, we’ll have to try to look up more often since approaching vehicles will be a lot quieter.
- Less – or even no more – trips to the gas station. Beyond a few less slurpees consumed, what happens to the corner gas station with a whole lot less business? Or to the local garage with cars that have so many less moving parts to fix?
- Same thing goes for dealerships – how do we change as cars become easier to maintain? We’ll have a whole bunch of adapting to do. Job descriptions and our areas of focus will change.
- Filling up your tank totally changes – you plug in at home, or at work, or while out shopping. It is hard enough to find an extra plug for your smartphone when the charge is running low. Imagine what happens when we are all out there looking for plugs/charging stations at the mall, in the parking garage, at work, etc… It is going to be a combat zone come Christmas shopping time!
This list is just a start – our automotive world is going to undergo a metamorphosis.