Electric cars are a big step forward in improving our planet’s environment. If electric cars were to replace all internal combustion engines on the street today, it would reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 27% (not including the emissions created by producing electricity to charge these vehicles).
However, electric cars are far from replacing internal combustion engines anytime soon. Owners of such vehicles will face too many problems until electric units become more popular and user-friendly.
So what are the reasons for these problems, and how long will it take for electric cars to become the majority of cars on the streets? We’ll explore all of these questions and more in this article.
The main disadvantages of electric cars
What are the reasons that may prevent electric cars from replacing cars with internal combustion engines? Given that gasoline is currently very expensive, electric cars seem like a great idea to save money in the long run.
Overall Reliability
Batteries are a major problem with electric cars.
We all know that batteries have their lifespan, and they can’t yet give the reliability that internal combustion engines do. After all, cars with internal combustion engines can easily serve you a dozen years, or even more, if you’re just careful and on time to service it.
Can electric cars boast of this at the moment? No, because the efficiency of lithium batteries begins to decline over time, even if you’re not driving.
To be fair, it should be noted that with the development of battery technology, this parameter is decreasing. But will it be soon?
The need for battery replacement
At first, you may be content to drive your newly purchased electric car every day without paying for gasoline.
But you will be disappointed when it comes time to replace the batteries, which will cost almost as much as the price of a new electric car. Battery prices go up along with fuel prices, but why?
Green batteries require raw materials, including nickel and lithium. However, these materials correlate with fuel prices for internal combustion engines.
Liquidity in the secondary market
The main problem with electric vehicles in the aftermarket is the condition of the battery pack. In addition, the cost of repairing the electronic components of the motor part of an electric car is not comparable to the cost of repairing cars with internal combustion engines.
At the same time, conventional cars with internal combustion engines are easily sold after use.
“Don’t forget to charge your car!”
What is usually the most frustrating thing about a cell phone? Having a dead battery. Yes, the same applies to an electric car.
It is necessary to monitor the charge of the electric car constantly; otherwise, its battery can run out at the most inopportune moment in the middle of the highway, nearby where you can not find a station to recharge, which, by the way, lasts at least 1 hour. Just think how long that is, compared to refueling your car with gasoline, gas, or even hydrogen.
If you live in a private home, you have another way to charge your electric car. You could set up a charger right on your property. But be prepared to pay a hefty electricity fee and wait an average of up to 8 hours for your electric car to be fully charged!
Lack of eco-friendliness.
Electric cars always seem to be the saviors of the planet and the most environmentally friendly vehicles, but that’s far from the case.
Automakers advertise their products as environmentally friendly, not to mention the indirect costs to nature due to the production lines and batteries themselves, which need to be replaced every 10 years or so, leaving a huge amount of lithium battery waste on the planet that is virtually unrecyclable.
Electric cars are not 100% environmentally friendly; no one really mentions that!
Electric cars and hot weather.
Electric cars have many more electronic parts than conventional gasoline cars, and the enemy of all electronics is heating. That’s why electric cars have a lot of reliability problems in hot weather. Even the most expensive part of electric cars (their batteries) suffers on hot days.
That’s why we still don’t see many electric cars in hot regions of the world, such as Dubai.
According to a recent study by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), as of January 31, 2022, there are 5,107 electric cars in Dubai. And in other study papers writers claim that as of September 6, 2021, there were about 1.44 million cars on the streets of Dubai.
This means that electric cars in Dubai represent less than 1% of the total number of vehicles (5107 / 1440000 * 100% = 0.35%).
Electric cars are a dream.
Tesla is a good example of the success story of a startup that became the world’s most expensive automaker in 11 years, with a market capitalization of $1 trillion.
But what about other electric car startups that are raising hundreds of millions of dollars in pre-orders and claiming the same mind-boggling automotive stats as Tesla?
These startups are selling nothing more than a beautiful dream that is not destined to come true.
Do electric cars have a future?
According to the disadvantages listed above, electric cars cannot completely replace cars with internal combustion engines these days. But do electric cars have a future?
Of course, there is. Strong automakers continue to allocate investments aimed at improving electric cars. Along with government support in the form of incentives and policies to reduce taxes and fees on electric vehicles, electric vehicles definitely have a future along with internal combustion engine vehicles.
Nevertheless, the industry is evolving toward economic means of transportation in urban agglomerations, where there are no problems with frequent charging (electric infrastructure is constantly evolving), as well as toward reducing the overall environmental friendliness of cities and large population centers by reducing CO2 emissions and noise levels.
One way or another, both types of cars will be on the streets for years to come until one of them proves to be significantly better than the other in all respects!
