While many critics will argue otherwise, there is no doubt that the electric car market has now gone past the point of no return and false dawns of years gone by are now a thing of the past. The technology is improving almost daily, we are starting to see cutthroat competition in the industry and finally motorists are now more trusting of electric vehicles than they ever have been. However, is it now time to switch investment focus towards recharging networks as opposed to electric vehicle technology?
Chicken and the egg question
What came first “the chicken or the egg” is the type of question we can now ask of the electric vehicle market. Even though sales have risen significantly in percentage terms in actual vehicle number terms they are still minuscule compared to their traditional fuel counterparts. So, what comes first, the sale of electric vehicles or the introduction of wide scale recharging networks?
It is becoming more and more obvious that now is the time to switch some investment focus from electric car technology and look towards the recharging networks which are emerging although perhaps too slowly.
Range anxiety
Range anxiety is an issue amongst those who have not driven electric vehicles and not something those who drive electric vehicles worry about. So, you could argue that if those driving electric vehicles are happy then why switch focus to recharging networks and tackle the subject of range anxiety?
The simple fact is that it is becoming more and more obvious that mistruths, misunderstandings and a lack of re-educating the motoring public means that many still fear they will run out of power when driving electric cars. If you ask potential EV enthusiasts where their nearest recharging stations are many of them will not have a clue. They may well have walked past them on occasion, they may be just a short distance from their homes or offices but until these sites are more visible, and “busier”, range anxiety will continue to be an issue.
Working together
Over the last few months we have seen the US government announce a multibillion dollar investment in electric car battery technology and we have seen some of the biggest names in the automobile industry announcing plans to work together. There seems to be a general consensus that now is the time to push recharging stations and thankfully it does look as though everything is beginning to come together.
While not everybody’s cup of tea, Tesla in the shape of Elon Musk has been dragging many participants of the automobile industry into the new age of electric power travel. Did you know that Tesla has left many of its important and expensive patents open to competitors for the good of the industry? Very often the more competitive side of Tesla is highlighted in the press but this is a company which is doing even more behind-the-scenes.
Conclusion
There is no doubt it is time to switch at least part of the investment focus away from electric car technology towards recharging networks. This will reduce instances of range anxiety, give the general public a more visible entity to look at and will ultimately increase electric car sales in years to come. Even though the era of free recharging may be over, with some companies now switching to a charging model, there is every opportunity that electric car charging networks will be subsidised in some shape or form for many years to come.
Would you be more likely to acquire an electric car if electric car charging stations were more visible in and around your area?
