Welcome to the Future

Electric Cars | Future | Buffalo, NY | New Orleans, LA | Certified B Corp 

When it comes to a future society, one of the most recognizable changes is transportation. In movies and books, when characters aren’t teleporting from one location to another, they’re usually flying there in some futuristic car, but for decades the prediction for automobile advancements by the creative minds of Hollywood (think Back to the Future) have been wrong, or rather misplaced. It’s not that the cars aren’t far superior to their predecessors, it’s that the advancements have been more to function than form, focusing on safety and comfort more than getting from point A to Point B faster (or “cooler”).

In the 1980’s one might’ve predicted the world would be full of flying cars by the 2020s but in reality something far more beneficial might happen. According to a video by the economist that went viral on October 21st it will be more affordable to purchase and operate an electric car than a petro or diesel powered car by 2018: That video can be found here https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/videos/10155941777239060/

This video shows how possible an explosive growth in demand for electric vehicles is, and how likely we are to see one in the coming years. It also shows the negative externalities of electric cars, which I will further dive into on a future post.

While the Economist is a reputable source, it helps to look at what auto manufacturers are investing in, to see if this prediction holds any weight. Historically electric cars have served more as a vanity purchase; while they did help protect the environment they were too expensive for the average person to buy, and were too difficult to refuel on long trips.

However, in the coming years, automakers are expected to be releasing a much higher volume of electric models, with affordable prices that are capable of driving 200-300 miles without recharging.[1] It’s not just Tesla either; though Musk’s company does have two models scheduled for release in the next couple of years (with the Model 3 going into production this year), companies like Volvo, Volkswagen, Ford, and GM have all announced electric models to be released by the new decade.[2]

If the future was not moving towards sustainable transportation, these companies would not be investing in new models like this. They would not take on the risk or financial burden unless they expected large returns, and if electric cars become overall more affordable, they want to be the first companies with affordable options to capture that market. Again, thy would not be taking this risk if it did not seem likely they would not have returns.[3]

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[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/affordable-electric-cars-coming-by-2020-2017-4

[2] http://www.businessinsider.com/affordable-electric-cars-coming-by-2020-2017-4/#general-motors-has-launched-its-chevy-bolt-which-starts-at-about-37500-7

[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2017/09/18/why-you-should-consider-buying-a-used-electric-car/#6e2859ce4383