Why EVs Are Not the Future of Vehicles
Most people consider electric vehicles to be the best solution for the carbon neutral environment and to reduce pollution in order to save the planet and they portray electric vehicles as the future of sustainable transportation. In general, the cost of an electric vehicle is defined by the raw materials used to create the specific electric vehicle. Typically an electric vehicle incorporates environmental assets such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, and nickel. Based on AlixPartners, the average price of raw materials utilized for electric vehicles is 25% higher than raw materials used in ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. Nevertheless, the European Federation for Transport and Environment states that the metals needed to build an EV battery are much less compared to a normal car. When we compared the internal combustion engine vehicles with the EVs, Electric vehicles utilize 58% less energy.
Although it is said that electric vehicles are one of the best solutions for the carbon neutral environment and to reduce the pollution to save the planet, it’s not as simple as that. Even though electric vehicles emit far less carbon dioxide than gas-powered vehicles, they are still capable of harming the environment. Consequently, electric vehicles can not be considered as one of the best solutions to protect the environment.
Apart from this, there are a few other drawbacks of electric vehicles which make the world question whether electric vehicles are the future. In this article, we are going to discuss the major disadvantages of electric vehicles in the modern market.
One of the major issues regarding electric vehicles is battery charging difficulties. It has been suggested that the reason why a lot of Americans refrain from purchasing electric vehicles is the charging issue. About 80% of the customers state that limited charging facilities make them think twice before purchasing an Electric Vehicle.
Another pertinent topic that can be taken into consideration is how the disabled or the older community of society handles an electric vehicle when they need to charge it in public EV charging spots. Most of the disabled EV drivers don’t have the potential to handle the heavy batteries when they want to charge batteries in public EV charging stations. This condition becomes worse if that person uses a wheelchair because the EV charging stations don’t have employees to help the customers just like in a conventional fuel station.
Grid infrastructure is a place used as a platform to charge electric vehicles. Basically, the charging stations are connected to the grid. Consequently, the grid infrastructure boosts power consumption. The rise of electric vehicles increases electric consumption and generates imbalances in the electrical system and variations in voltage. To keep up with the growing demand for EV charging, local distribution systems may need to be upgraded, requiring the setup of new transformers, lines, and substations.
The other big challenge for electric vehicles is the battery. Batteries of electric vehicles have several drawbacks such as energy density, charging time, battery lifespan, cost, and supply chain challenges. Due to the lower battery energy density, electric vehicles possess a limited driving range compared to conventional fluid fuels. Electric vehicle’s charging intervals are really lengthy which results in consuming more time and delays compared to gasoline vehicles
A battery of an electric car consists of a bunch of Lithium-ion cells. With the current technology, the battery of an electric car can last up to 10-20 years. Due to the overcharging, the thin border between the anode and cathode in the battery decreases and they tend to contact each other. Electric car batteries are vulnerable to climate change. Hot and cold weather conditions can affect the battery easily. Consequently, the drivers have to perform additional actions such as air cooling, and liquid cooling to get the vehicle battery into normal temperature during hot climate conditions.
Battery degeneration can be a problem in electric vehicles because of the price for sustainability and the replacement price. The used batteries in Electric vehicles need to be managed properly and disposed appropriately. Electric batteries consist of cathode, anode, and electrolytes so, as humans we need to be very careful when recycling such substances. Sophisticated recycling procedures must be followed to separate valuable elements from these components. The difficulties in disposing and recycling electric vehicle batteries include advanced battery chemistry, sustainability on an economic basis, and inadequate recycling infrastructure.
Electric vehicles are supposed to define the future of cars as an environment-friendly creation. However, recycling the batteries of electric vehicles is a really tough mission. Lithium-ion batteries that are used to make EV batteries are a major threat to the environment. Also, the other chemicals inside the EV batteries namely, iron, magnesium, and cobalt are ecologically toxic. The process of recycling electric batteries is complicated and expensive.
It is challenging for us to predict the future of transportation because it needs ethically acceptable methods to recycle the batteries.
Apart from that, electric vehicles cannot be frequently used in developing countries like India due to the lack of facilities and clean electricity. Also, there is an issue with the speed of electrical vehicles. Most of the electric SUVs are restricted to somewhat limited peak speeds.
Electric vehicles can be comfortably driven and highly responsive. Electric vehicles complete your need for a vehicle but the individual should be aware of the charging facilities in the particular region before using such a vehicle. The drivers should be able to easily charge their electric vehicles without trouble which makes their journey easier. If we need to protect the environment we can focus on healthier options such as hydrogen-based engines for passenger engines and cleaner methods of electricity generation. Although it is said that switching to electric vehicles makes our environment safe, it’s not wise to blindly believe the idea given everything that was discussed here.
In this article, we have discussed the weaknesses of electrical vehicles and the key aspects a customer should keep in mind before purchasing one.
Written by Shalu Ranmini
References and further reading:
AZoCleantech (2023) How Raw Material Cost Increases are Challenging Electric Vehicle Production. https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1644.
Rosevear, J. (2023) EV charging needs big improvements soon if the auto industry’s transition is going to work. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/19/ev-charging-industry-improvements.html.
Tallodi, J. (2024) Seven disadvantages of electric cars. https://www.carwow.co.uk/guides/choosing/disadvantages-of-electric-cars.
