Electric Vehicles have arrived, and they are here to stay; no question. This doesn’t mean they are not ruining cars and by extension, the automotive industry.
Although they have come a long way over the last decade, they still have rather a long way to go before all the kinks are ironed out, most of which can be put down to a long, drawn out teething process. They do represent something of a victory over “big oil” just by actually making it to the market, something GM would prefer we all forget after the scandalous way they tried to bury their early project that was actually showing promise (and would have likely rivaled Tesla by now). As it stands, most carmakers have not quite figured out battery technology and most standalone EV producers still don’t have a clue how to make a decent car.
10 Ruining: Quality Control Issues
At the forefront of this, but by no means alone either, is Tesla. They have been hit hard by quality issues, from panel gaps to cars catching fire; they have had it all in their short history.
Actual carmakers aren’t exactly covering themselves in glory either, often choosing to build their EVs from the ground up as all new models, rushing them to a rapidly growing market only to find their car was nowhere near ready.
9 Ruining: Autonomous Future
One of the most attractive options is simultaneously the most disconcerting, too. All serious carmakers have been working on a form of automotive autopilot, but up to this point all have had their own separate issues, especially those who are trying to make it work with conventional ICE cars.
What is disconcerting about this new direction is removing the driver from the actual driving experience, although handing over control to a computer while you are stuck in traffic seems like a great idea, how much longer will it be until we see cars with no actual controls?
8 Ruining: Strange Sound
EVs are not silent. Contrary to what many over enthusiastic journalists might have said in the past, the drivetrain is quiet, like many modern luxury cars, but certainly not silent.
What you get is unusually loud tire noise and almost unsettling loud whining noises from the motors. Some enthusiasts choose to insert fake exhausts that make familiar “vroom” noises, but that is bizarre on a whole other level.
7 Ruining: Maintenance Myth
Many EV fans will claim there is little to no maintenance to be done on an EV, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Although these cars have far fewer moving parts, they still have many maintenance related components that require periodic attention and if they get neglected, much like an ICE car, will fail.
6 Ruining: Unknown Environmental Issues
Nothing comes out of any tailpipe, there is no tailpipe, that much is a given. Battery technology is still relatively archaic compared to the rest of the tech packed into these cars, though.
Lithium-ion is a fan favorite, but both that and the electric motors which power the cars require rare earth metals to be dug up out of the ground, usually sourced from countries that have weak constitutions and no real labor law. It is an issue that needs to be resolved sooner rather than later.
5 Ruining: Tire Wear
EVs are very, very heavy. Although their powertrains are built with that in mind and compensated accordingly, they still can't help but eat up twice as many tires.
The cost is one factor, but over the duration of ownership that won’t really make all that much difference, but the pollution caused by this should be concerning. Some manufacturers, to their credit, are starting to produce environmentally friendly tires, most are not, and (shock, horror) rely heavily on the oil and gas industry in their production and supply chain.
4 Ruining: Range Anxiety
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Anyone who has owned/driven/ridden an EV can attest to this, and if you have owned one you will also know that range is not always accurate, making it a very real fear.
It is a difficult and rather frustrating aspect of owning an EV that will only get better as battery life and charging infrastructure improves.
3 Ruining: Charging Times
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At present, not everyone can afford a fast charger, which could be mitigated somewhat if all manufacturers could supply a reliable household charger that was not some kind of fire hazard.
At present, there are few that can provide that particular piece of hardware, but it isn’t all bad.
2 Awesome: Obvious Environmental Benefits
Although there are still a few concerns here and there, there are solutions for all of those that will become more widespread as awareness improves.
Ethical, green solutions are out there and can be found in unlikely places. People are quick to judge nuclear power, but don’t write off a clean version of it to crop up one day, Pirelli have already shown us there are better ways to make tires and batteries will certainly improve.
1 Awesome: Unbelievable Performance Potential
With almost no mechanical drag and an immediate surge of torque, there is almost no limit to how fast EVs can go.
Their weight keeps them fairly planted and the only fun missing is sound, which is technically another form of pollution the next generation won’t mind losing, and if they really want sound there will always be classic cars that can hopefully run on a suitable alternative fuel.