Advancements in electric vehicle technology, and the further increase in accessibility for the general public, could cause a monumental shift in the way our society lives. Most cars still run off gasoline. In fact, there are more than 1 billion vehicles still pumping those fuel emissions into our atmosphere every day. So, what are the benefits of electric cars? And how likely are we to see a complete shift to the usage of these vehicles?

The Advantages

First of all, let’s look at how an electric car can benefit you and the environment. If you understand how electric cars work, you’ll know that, whilst you do need to charge them and use power, you won’t be pumping harmful emissions into the air. This means that you’re helping to improve the air quality of your local area and ultimately helping to reduce your contribution to climate change. Electric cars also require less maintenance and are also cheaper to maintain, they’re quieter, and you can even benefit from at-home charging. 

The Disadvantages

Whilst electric cars are arguably the more environmentally and economically conscious choice when it comes to a vehicle; there are a few downsides right now. These vehicles can’t travel as far as gasoline-powered cars. On top of that, your electric car will take longer to charge than if you were quickly refuelling a normal car. They are also currently more expensive than regular vehicles. The cost of most cars has actually led to a boost in the value of the used-car market as consumers opt for pre-owned vehicles over brand-new ones. Of course, many of these problems will likely improve in the future, especially the issue of cost, as companies like Tesla work to perfect their systems and hopefully improve affordability.  

The Future Of Electric Cars

It’s believed by many in the car industry that we’ve already surpassed the point in which the sales of electric cars will start to overshadow gasoline-powered cars. There are already a number of car manufacturers that are committing to exclusively selling electric vehicles in the near future. Volvo has given a date of 2030 and Jaguar an even earlier date of 2025 as to when they’ll only be selling electric models. With the dwindling reserves of oil, a lot of these companies are evidently realising that this isn’t a sustainable business, with the amount of our proven oil sources predicted to run out entirely in just over 40 years. Vehicles use most of the world’s oil reserves, although a majority of these motors are situated in the transportation industry, but even these industries are seeing more sustainable companies taking the lead.

Renewable Energy

Right now, much of our power comes from fossil fuels. So, when you charge your electric vehicle, you’re still using the power from burning coal and oil. You may be wondering then, what is the point? When we inevitably must switch from these unsustainable power sources, our vehicles will be ready to take on any other type of energy production we have. Wind power, solar power, or even clean nuclear energy could be the next power source for our societies. Our electric vehicles will be ready to take that renewable electricity, just the same as they have been taking energy from oil.