Electric vehicles are the future. Their sales are booming as governments worldwide promote them with incentives and outright bans on the sales of internal combustion engine vehicles. Hence, it is important to keep up with the latest trends in the electric vehicle world. Here, we present you with five electric vehicle trends you need to know.
Electric vehicle charging could soon be as fast as buying fuel
Electric vehicle charging is a sticky point for some people as it is not as fast as stopping over at a fuel station and pumping gas into the tank. While this drawback might not affect daily operation in any significant way, it becomes obvious when traveling distances longer than the range of the EV and the driver has to stop multiple times to charge.
However, with the progress being reported in battery research, rapid charging times could soon be upon us. For example, a team at Penn State University in the US claimed to have produced a battery that could charge in just ten minutes! Israeli startup, StoreDot also claimed to have developed a battery that can gain 100 miles in five minutes.
Gas stations are evolving right before our eyes
As internal combustion vehicles continue to make way for zero-emission electric cars, filling stations will naturally disappear. Or evolve into something else. The forward-thinking ones will look for ways to remain relevant in the post-fossil-fuel era.
A good example is the Shell Nebbenes Vest fuel station in Norway which is adding public charging stalls to its premises. It has to move with the times, as electric vehicles now outsell gas-powered vehicles in the Nordic nation.
Electric vehicles could soon achieve price parity with gas-powered vehicles
Electric vehicles generally cost more than their internal combustion energy counterparts. This is mainly due to the battery, which accounts for more than one-third of the cost in some models. However, battery prices are dropping, with a corresponding reduction in electric vehicle costs. Some analysts believe 2025 is the year EVs will cost the same as ICE vehicles, which will be a big boost for the former.
Electric vehicles can power your home
Because of the large batteries that are inside electric vehicles, they are practically mobile power banks. Most of the energy in the battery sits unused for most of the day.
However, with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tech, EV owners can tap into the battery to act as a power source. The power could be connected to your own or used at remote locations to run speakers, charge batteries, or even a mobile kitchen as Rivian does with its R1T pickup truck.
Electric vehicles will change the way we build houses
Before electric vehicles became popular, nobody thought of refueling their car at home as it was difficult to set up a fuel pump in the house. However, charging stations allow you to refuel your electric vehicle right in your garage. This calls for the re-imagination of the functions of a house. The UK government, for example, will require new homes to have EV chargers starting from 2022.
