Is This the Death of the Internal Combustion Engine?
There has been a recent surge in news for electric and hybrid car owners recently: a lot of the big car companies are announcing the move from conventional internal combustion cars to electrified models, whether that be hybrid motors or fully electric ones. The changeover point appears to be around 2040, with the UK and France prohibiting sales of conventional ICE cars then. But you can expect to see a lot more electric vehicles going on sale much sooner – around 2019.
Announcement After Announcement After Announcement
Volvo seems to have kicked off the trend of electrified cars, issuing a statement that by 2025 it expects all its cars to be electrified, and that they’ll be competing against Tesla as a premium electric car company. BMW soon followed suit, announcing the introduction of a brand new electric Mini under construction at the Oxford factory. BMW expect up to a quarter of their sales by 2025 to be generated by electric car sales.
Earlier this week, Mazda and Toyota formed an alliance to develop more advanced electric vehicle technology, along with a new factory in the US with the capability to build 300,000 vehicles per year. Nissan have also declared that they plan on making more cars based on the new Leaf platform that’s coming in 2018.
Even the Supercar Makers Are at It
But don’t think the electric revolution is reserved for us normies in our everyday cars. Maserati said this week that by 2019 they expect all of their cars to be electrified in some way – leading the way for the rest of the Fiat Chrysler Group, the new Levante SUV is expected to receive a hybrid upgrade sooner rather than later. Aston Martin are also joining the party, announcing that their new plant in St Athan, Wales will be primarily used for the development of electrified cars.
A New Beginning for the Electric Car – Let’s Do it Better This Time
Gone are the days of the cheap, plastic, disposable electric car, with the structural integrity of a paper bag. Now that conventional car companies have jumped on the electric bandwagon, the platform can finally improve. Elon Musk and Tesla have led the way so far and are continuing to develop their own platform at an impressive pace; with the Model 3 starting to be delivered and the Model Y expected soon after, electric cars aren’t just coming – they’re already here.
What do you think about the rise of electric cars? Let us know in the comments.
