The road to all-electric vehicles

Waldo Cervantes
Jul 28, 2017 · 2 min read

This week the British government announced their plan to ban the sales of petrol and diesel from 2040. The move proved controversial within some circles, ranging from arguments citing the lack of current infrastructure, to the fact that the policy isn’t actually addressing any current environmental problems. And of course the backwards looking stance from some car manufacturers wasn’t missing either.

Britain is not the first country to set a timeframe for getting rid of fossil combustibles on cars (France plans to do it by 204o, and The Netherlands by 2025) and Volvo has also stated that they will only manufacture electric (and hybrid) vehicles by 2019. However, one can only get very excited by the possibilities of having a very clear timeframe to completely eliminate petroleum as a power source for cars.

The road to all-electric vehicles won’t be easy, as it will require coordination amongst different sectors, technologies and policies that will not only enable the transition, but also that encourages user adoption through the right incentives.

Those ingrained in the past will of course struggle to get around the notion of “killing” a very lucrative and well stablished industry, however, forward thinking organizations and individuals will benefit from the opportunities of growth found within all involved technologies and infrastructure. From the charge points, to the conditioning of the electrical grid, roads, highways and cities, to a shift from mostly mechanical modules in vehicles, to software enabled functionality and interfaces.

On the other hand, users will gain considerable better living standards, not only through the desired reduction in pollution, but also from the expected level of automation, autonomy and security that will be provided by these new paradigm in cars.

A transformation will occur all across the value chain for vehicles, from ownership, operation, maintenance, and manufacturing, will be transformed, enabling exciting development opportunities not only for current players, but for many innovators willing to take an active role in the creation of a new industry.

Waldo Cervantes

Written by

I’m a researcher on the Internet of Things. I like food and cooking. Books, comics and music are my Achilles heel.

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