Electric Vehicles making wave in the Automotive Industry

Electric vehicles are the future of the automotive industry in the sense that it will help the environment in a lot of ways like improving the quality of the air, motoring cost, lesser use of carbon in transport and also reduce global warming. The electric vehicle market has seen some significant development owing to the requirement for resolving future energy resources. It is rising and becoming an integral part of the automotive industry. Electric vehicles will require far less periodic maintenance and will as well require far less parts and services. Although the servicing part of the industry will not go away entirely, there
will be some downsizing in the auto repair industry. Electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular, especially as gas prices become higher and higher. Focus on electrified mobility started in earnest nearly two decades ago with the arrival of the first hybrid vehicles. Nowadays, every major auto manufacturer seems to have a strategy aimed at an all-electric future. Many automakers like Tesla and co are investing billions of dollars in research & development and manufacturing to electrify their global lineups to go EV-only as time goes on. Some examples of electric cars that are in existence so far are NIssan leaf, Ford focuselectric, Tesla models and Chevrolet volt.

WHY ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE MORE EFFICIENT

The key motivator for the automotive industry’s strong momentum toward electrification is the environment. Around the world and mostly in the United States, light-duty vehicles (passenger cars and non-commercial trucks) have been the most significant contributors of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Electric vehicles (EVs) have a smaller environmental footprint than petroleum powered vehicles. While aspects of their production can induce similar, less or alternative environmental impacts, they produce little or no tailpipe emissions, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, dependence on petroleum and health effects from air pollution.

So far, we have seen more upgraded changes in the automotive industry like;

1. Self-Driving Vehicles:

Driverless vehicles are going to bring a revolutionary change in the automotive industry and they will keep running out and about without the intercession of the driver in the driver’s seat.

2. Artificial Intelligence Controlled Vehicles:

The addition of artificial intelligence in automobiles is progressively getting intense and responsive and right now, because of that, they are largely adapted to react to orders as normal as voice messages.

3. Vehicle to Vehicle Connectivity:

The (V2V) network normally permits autos to offer data and stay in contact with each other. Vehicles can connect on various parameters concerning speed, activity, street conditions, danger and much more.

Electric vehicles have major environmental benefits over petroleum powered vehicles, such as:

• The elimination of harmful tailpipe pollutants such as various oxides of nitrogen.
• Electric vehicles use 38 megajoules per 100 km in comparison to 142 megajoules per 100 km for petroleum powered vehicles.
• Less Carbon dioxide emissions globally than fossil-fuelled cars, thus limiting climate change. Safe to say plug-in hybrids capture most of these benefits when they are operating in all-electric mode.

Electric vehicles have some disadvantages, such as:

• Increased particulate matter emissions from tires compared to petroleum powered vehicles. This is sometimes caused by the fact that most electric vehicles have a heavy battery, which means the car’s tires are subjected to more wear. The brake pads can also be used less frequently than in non-electric vehicles, if regenerative braking is available and may thus sometimes produce less particulate pollution than brakes in non-electric vehicles.
• Pollution emitted in manufacturing, especially the increased amounts from producing the batteries.
• Reliance on rare-earth elements such as lanthanum, terbium, neodymium, and dysprosium, with other critical metals such as lithium and cobalt.
• Electricity cost
• Limited recharge points
• Recharge Time is Long

Hazards of Electric Vehicles

Some of the notable dangers of electric vehicles are as follows;

1. Lithium ion (Li-ion) battery fires are still a regular problem
2. They pose a risk of electrocution
3. Autonomous driving dangers
4. The lack of sound poses a risk to others
5. Some weather isn’t conducive for electric vehicles.

1. Lithium ion (Li-ion) Battery Fires Are Still A Regular Problem;

Electric vehicles are not gasoline-powered and full of combustible fuel, but they can still catch fire unexpectedly. The batteries in these electric vehicles can overheat, burst into flames, or even explode.
Although Li-ion battery vehicle fires are very rare, they also burn exceedingly hot in comparison to gasoline vehicle fires and can cause a great amount of destruction. If the battery cells were short circuit, it can also release a ton of energy in a very short period of time, this will then transfer all of that energy into heat and can cause fires.

2. They Pose A Risk Of Electrocution;

Electric vehicles can have operating voltages between 200 and 800 volts. These allow you to get over 100kWh from your electric vehicle. Although manufacturers take time to mark high voltage wires carefully, and only a professional should ever work on or open a Li-ion battery, these batteries can become damaged in a car accident. Therefore, if there is ever a short, or if someone touches a bare connector they could be in serious danger. If wires come apart as a result of an accident, there is a high risk of those wires electrocuting someone, especially if there is water present.

3. Autonomous Driving Dangers;

The majority of electric vehicles have driverless, or autonomous, functionality. One major example of this is Tesla, and you might also be familiar with the excess of Tesla autopilot accidents from negligent drivers taking advantage of this feature. Until self-driving and autopilot features are better and more uniformly regulated for carmakers, driverless cars will always be dangerous.

4. The Lack Of Sound Poses A Risk To Others;

Electric vehicles produce much less sound Some are nearly silent. Cyclists, pedestrians, and persons with visual impairments who rely on sound to identify oncoming vehicles may not hear a car sneaking up behind them. It’s a real risk to children too. Vehicles that emit or produce a low-level hum at slower speeds may be mistaken for something else. This presents a much more significant safety concern, as people may not hear the vehicle coming.

5. Some Weather Isn’t Conducive For Electric Vehicles;

During colder temperatures, EV batteries charge slower, are less efficient, and are affected by electric functions like heating, regenerative braking, and seat warming. This can be a real danger if you run out of power in the middle of a highway, a hundred miles or more from the closest charging station. Cold weather can also slow down the chemical reactions the battery needs to perform well, which can cause problems with both braking and tire pressure. If you’re travelling in an area with a lot of traffic, or in bad weather, you could easily end up getting hurt in a wreck.

With all that said, we are only at the beginning of the auto industry’s shift to electrification. The share of electric vehicles (EVs) in the United State is still fractional compared to the overall production and sales of automobiles.