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Summary – the points given in this table are expanded upon in the next table.
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Advantages of EVs
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Disadvantages of EVs
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Discussion – filling-out the points made above
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Advantages of EVs
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Disadvantages of EVs
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How is the situation likely to change in the future?Almost all of the ways in which EVs compare unfavourably to ICE-powered vehicles in 2018 will change in future in ways advantageous to EVs; prices will decline, fast recharging options will become more readily available, ranges have increased and will continue to increase. It seems unlikely that the future will bring any advantages to ICE vehicles.Lithium based batteries seem likely to remain non-recyclable because mined lithium will remain cheaper than recycled lithium at least for a number of years. The electricity available to recharge EVs will gradually become more sustainable as fossil-fuelled generation is phased out. The number of EVs built has increased at the exponential rate of around 70% per year from 2011 to 2017; the figures below are extracted from a graph on www.ev-volumes.com:
While it is doubtful that this huge rate of growth will continue for very many years (if it continued to 2025 the number being built each year would be eighty million) there can be little doubt that a high rate of growth will continue. The problems with air pollution, particularly in India and China but in big cities everywhere, will continue to incentivise the change from ICE-vehicles to EVs. As EV technology advances, as designs become more settled and as the numbers of EVs built increase prices will come down substantially. Fast-charging stations are becoming more common all the time. As the integration of EV batteries with home electricity supply and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services develop the advantage of having an EV battery available at home will increase. For more information on vehicle-to-grid ability see Wikipedia. This could easily become one of the main economic incentives to own an EV in the future. As the need for action to reduce climate changing emissions and emissions causing ill-health and death becomes more recognised and urgent government incentives for owning EVs will increase. |
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