Electric Vehicles Boom - Do we have infrastructure in place? A Long Way Up

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Tesla inc. is flying high, as always. We love to talk about all the EV models they are coming up with. The electric motorcycles, the Cybertruck and all the other X, Y and Z models. Not only Tesla there are almost all car companies out there sprinting to build an electric product that rivals Tesla. Ever heard of Rivian? There is an ongoing engineering battle to prove the supremacy of all products against one another. And, we tend to focus on the battle of the EV products and engage in debates about which model looks futuristic, sleek with sci-fi features in it.

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But, there is one more thing we need to understand in addition to remain bullish on all EV futures - the EV infrastructure. Charging and recharging stations, battery swap centers and electricity network are all considered to be the EV infrastructure.

We tend to forget that the EV economic boom is impossible if we don’t put proper charging, docking and supporting infrastructure in place. What we have right now is a high end product line that is supported by a limited electric infrastructure within the city core. It is extremely difficult to find supporting infrastructure to support EVs outside of major cities in the developed and developing countries.

For that to happen, there should be a mass adoption of these products, positive policy reinforcements through infrastructure spending and public education around the need of EVs. In addition, the future research should explore the efficiency of the batteries in terms of storage, performing in various extreme weather conditions and reusability to reduce the carbon footprint of those batteries. It would be ideal if the battery efficiency can tap on natural forms of energy to create the clean cycle as envisioned by the environmentalists.

All the things I mentioned around research will only be justified and useful for the general public if they can buy an EV car or SUV and not worry about the charging stations if they want to go for a long drive. And, it is not happening yet.

It is still not considered widely common to go for a long drive on electric vehicles. People are not entirely sure if their EVs are suited for more than office commutes in the cityscape. Things are changing and moving fast but it is not enough.

A new documentary starring Ewan McGregor on Apple TV+ called “Long Way Up” demonstrated the obstacles faced by the motorcyclists when they went for an epic ride across the Americas starting from the southernmost point of Argentina to LA.

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I get pretty annoyed seeing all of the EV stuff going on. It’s actually dirtier than petrol based cars because most places rely heavily on coal power plants.

The other asinine thing is these things should be rolling freaking solar panels. I have yet to see a single solar panel on an electric car! It’s just common sense to include them in the cars but then again manufacturing wants you to keep their friends in business too.

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You do know that refining oil needs loads of power too? Refineries are generally build near power stations. Electric cars can use renewable power too. Even if you cover a car in solar panels it is fairly limited in what benefit it can get. The weight of the panels may be an issue too. Cars have been built with panels, but not sure any are in production. Just building any car is a polluting process, but we do need to really reduce pollution in cities. Less cars is the real answer.

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Less cars is the solution going forward. However, there should be balance between large public transportation which could be autonomous and electric. EV infrastructure is key to supporting and developing those solutions. The infrastructure has to move beyond cities and enthusiasts.

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I agree with you. We definitely can work towards making the energy used for EVs cleaner than what we are doing now. That goes with the concept of EV infrastructure where we make sure that the energy we produce and use for charging these vehicles are is clean sourced.
Using solar power is one aspect of the EV infrastructure. However, that requires more and rigorous research on product efficiency. There will always be politics and profit behind these decisions. Early movers will make the market and take cuts from it. That is obvious. But, for the longterm when we have all we need, the natural energy solutions could be the future we want to have instead of limited and polluted fossil fuel, I guess.

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I have no idea 😁😁

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NO worries. Once they become popular among the masses they may help solve the environmental and economic problems :)

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Improving batteries is a major research area. Getting more capacity with less weight and lower cost will make electric cars more viable. I would like an electric car, but I hardly drive anyway these days. I do see more charging options around though in car parks, by the side of streets and on homes. Electric cars ought to be idea for people in cities who rarely go far, but if you live in an apartment then charging may not be easy. There should be more use of car-sharing schemes as many people only need a car now and then. There should be good public transfer to reduce that need.

!BEER

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Thanks. Yes, the infrastructure to support these cars is not ready yet for mass adoption. I wanted to highlight the fact that EV products are necessary but we should not forget the supporting policies that aid EV infrastructure.

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