All-Electric Cars - Essay Example

The electric car is not a new concept in the automotive industry, and this technology has been around since1899. Most automakers have based their car models around proactivity and utilization of electricity while others design hybrid vehicles that operate on both gas and electricity. Some examples of all-electric cars include Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S among others. Electric cars help in the realization of a healthy and stable environment (Evarts 2013). I would like to own an all-electric car mostly due to its inherent features. One, it is conveniently rechargeable at home without having to visit a gas station, and you are ready for the next 80 to a 100-mile journey. They are also cheaper to operate due to the cost of electricity which is less than gas. The car lacks tailpipe emissions, and they have a small environmental impact as compared to conventional cars. So the price for electric cars is low, I would consider investing in them.

For a long time, the electric cars have been trying to compete with internal combustion engines for a long time. Despite a lot of marketing, they have not been able to gain popularity as they should. The electric cars cannot be considered viable due to some factors. For instance, their batteries are expensive, has less range and the time taken to recharge is high in comparison to filling a gas tank. To improve the competitiveness of electric cars, there is the need for the development of power units with a battery life of over 15 years, improve the energy storage capacity and reduce its cost (Kopits 2017). Despite the US energy policies to promote the production of electric cars, the range of batteries remains limited while the electric cars are disproportionately costly with batteries going for approximately $15,000. For instance, the all-electric Nissan Leaf cost approximately $27,700 (Kopits 2017). These cars are less capable in comparison with gas-powered counterparts, and most people would not be willing to pay for them. The viability of electric vehicles can be improved if they can be used on service base instead of being purchased as assets. For instance, they can be used as driverless taxis.

The electric cars' profitability is still weak, and most manufacturers are still using government support. The battery and recharging technology have been supported by the Energy Department and other agencies. Also, the United States government has been offering financial support to General Motors, Tesla, and Nissan among others to try and spur the economies of scale thereby reducing the unit cost. The population of electric cars is still low. For instance, there was the sale of 9,700 units of Nissan Leaf in the United States in 2011 and Chevy sold approximately 7,700 Volts. In 2016, there was the sale of 13million vehicles translating to a 0.1percent sale of electric cars (Kopits 2017).

In conclusion, the electric car technology has not been able to compete effectively with the conventional cars despite government subsidies. However, I think this technology will continue to develop and be deployed extensively. Such technology would work best if integrated with self-driving technology. Electric cars can be best used when purchased as a service, and it would reduce the recharging requirements. Despite the development in the recharging technology, it has not reached a point it can be comparable with filling a gasoline tank.

References

Evarts, E. (2013). Electric Car Survey - Consumer Reports News. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved 10 October 2017, from https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/12/electric-car-survey/index.htm

Kopits, S. (2017). Viability of Electric Vehicles. Douglas-Westwood. Retrieved 10 October 2017, from http://www.douglas-westwood.com/viability-of-electric-vehicles/

Tanner, J., & Raymond, M. Principles of marketing.