While the gas combustion engine still dominates the American market, many carmakers have put clear sunset dates on their production of combustion engines. Over the next ten to fifteen years, electric cars are expected to largely take over from gas-powered vehicles.
John Grifonetti explores the future of combustion engines in American cars, explaining why electric cars will eventually dominate the market.
Why are Electric Cars Preferred By Many Drivers?
The American market is shifting toward electric cars at a slow but steady pace. While it is still somewhat difficult to find public charging stations for plug-in electric cars, these amenities are becoming more common each year.
Many forward-looking drivers already have electric cars because they are concerned about gas-powered combustion engines’ effect on our environment. Gas engines produce pollution when they burn fossil fuels, and this pollution contributes significantly to global warming.
Mileage of Electric Cars
An electric car can only travel so far before it needs to be charged, whereas a gas model can quickly and easily be refilled during a road trip. Right now, the electric car that can go the farthest on a charge is the Tesla Model S, which can travel up to 379 miles on one charge. The average mileage for electric cars on one charge is about 200 miles, meaning that long road trips are more difficult to achieve. These cars should be adequate for most people’s daily driving.
Electric cars are, so far, more difficult to maintain than gas-powered cars. There are far fewer technicians who are qualified to work on electric cars, and this is reflected in the market price of service for an electric car.
Overall Cost of Electric Versus Gas
When tax incentives, maintenance, electricity or fuel, and wear and tear are all considered, electric cars are slightly less expensive to drive. Electric cars cost more upfront, but they have lower fuel costs. They also need less frequent maintenance over the first 45,000 miles of ownership. As more service centers become experts at dealing with plug-in electric and hybrid cars, the price of maintenance should go down.
As the cost per mile goes down, more drivers will adopt the electric car because it will make economic sense to do so. Having an electric car will no longer be seen as a rarity.
The Future of the Gas Engine
While electric cars are poised to take over the new car market, gas-powered cars will still be on the road. It may take 25 years for most gas-powered cars to leave the roads. Gas will continue to be available for the foreseeable future, and gas-powered cars will continue to be sold secondhand.
Gas-powered cars are also likely to remain important in the developing world where there are fewer opportunities to buy and charge electric cars. As the infrastructure in these countries develops, the electric car will become more commonplace.
High-Performance Engines
While there are some sporty and high-powered electric engines, specifically from European manufacturers like BMW and Porsche, the majority of electric engines are lower-powered. People who are accustomed to driving heavy V8 engines may be unhappy at the thought of giving them up for an electric car. The gas-powered engine may continue to be manufactured for this specialty group for some time to come.
Carmakers’ Plans
Recently, GM announced that it will be producing all electric cars by 2035, phasing out all gas and diesel engines. More carmakers are projected to join GM in reaching this lofty goal.
By 2040, it is expected that 58 percent of all new vehicle sales will be electric, but that electrics will make up only 33 percent of the vehicles on the road.
Understanding the Future of Gas Engines
Gas and diesel engines will continue to be used for many years to come, but eventually, it is likely that all cars will be electric. This is bound to make a severe hit on the fossil fuel industry when it does come to pass.
Plug-in electrics like the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla’s models will continue to make a significant impact on the car market. Tesla’s technology continues to advance to the point where it has almost double the road mileage per charge of any other electric car. Other electric car manufacturers will soon catch up, providing many American drivers with clean, emissions-free alternatives to polluting gas engines.
Switching to an Electric Car
Some drivers may be quite uncertain about switching to an electric car because they do not know what to expect in terms of power and mileage. As electric cars improve, more people will realize that they present a viable alternative to the gas engine.
John Grifonetti believes that gas engines will continue to be used for many years, but that the average driver should look into purchasing an electric car as their next new vehicle. As time goes by, many of the disadvantages of driving an electric car will be corrected, and the environment will benefit from fewer fossil fuels being burned.
Interesting related article: “What are Electric Vehicles?“