The automotive industry has been through many great evolutionary stages in its lifetime. The latest and greatest evolution, however, might just be its best and most life changing yet. In recent years, there has been a growing movement powering forward a new era in automotive technology that is electronically powered. In a world that is increasingly interested in going green and becoming more sustainable, electric vehicles are the answer to mankind’s biggest problem of dwindling fossil fuels. It is also much more appealing to the upcoming generations of Millennials and Generation Z (also known as iGeneration). They are the ones pushing for a greener world and thanks to their movement, the world has reciprocated with green technology.
Prior to this recent shift, the movement towards electric automotive technology was merely a point in the plot of many best-selling novels and blockbuster movies and television series. Once purely the star of many gems in the entertainment industry, electric vehicles are now very much real. So, what has brought this vision to life, what propels it ever forward, and what can we expect from electric automotive technology going into the future?
The manufacturer bringing EV tech to the helm
There are of course several automotive manufacturers that have delved into the electric automotive tech movement, but there is one automotive manufacturer that has played a pivotal role and arguably pioneered the entire movement from the onset. That manufacturer is none other than Tesla, the futuristic automotive manufacturer powered by the mind of tech professional Elon Musk. Tesla has always been driven by electric innovation, and the vision to bring electric automotives to the world has been fully realised, especially with the recent reveal of the Model 3 – an all-new era in electric vehicles that encapsulates the same revolutionary technology in a more affordable package.
While they are the pioneers, there are other companies who have been inspired by the innovations of Tesla, coming up with their own models and make, trying to capitalize on a very young and pliable industry. This revolutionary idea has been sold since 2006, with 775,000 cars sold worldwide. The following year saw an increase of 57% in sales, a grand majority of which came from the Chinese market. The numbers are only expected to increase in the years to follow.
The vision that has powered Tesla onward and upward
Essentially, the vision behind Tesla and the electric automotive technology evolution has been the drive to create more sustainable ways to live. Considering the sheer amount of time that individuals around the world tend to spend travelling from point A to point B, it stands to reason that there is considerable (if not slightly overwhelming) impact that all that transportation has on the planet. Up until recently, this impact has been decidedly negative, as there has been next to no getting around the fact that fossil fuels do not have a positive impact on the world. Musk’s vision for Tesla has always been to pioneer movements towards a more sustainable energy sources and ways to live that embrace and encourage the idea of a cleaner and more ethical future. To this end, it has been, and still is, tremendously successful.
Alongside the rise of the internet, which opened the public up to a vast ocean of knowledge, younger generations have picked up on the severity of the human condition upon the natural world. With our agriculture and constant need for consumerism, it has driven the world to the brink. Global warming is on the rise and it seems that the end of the world is impending in everyone’s minds, fuelling industries to go green and vegan. Since electricity is one of the cleanest energies readily available, it should come as no surprise that it is leading this change in how the world commutes. At one point it seemed that solar was the way to go but it proved to be rather unsustainable as cars would have to be recharged for tremendous amounts of time in order to run for a significantly shorter amount. Thanks to today’s technology, we are able to harness much more electric energy and convert it for use on the roads.
Why this is just the start of the electric automotive tech era
Elon Musk and Tesla are just getting started. Soon enough, electric automotive technology will be just as common a driving force on the roads as the traditional fossil fuels are today. Meanwhile, other automotive companies such as Uber are also trying to shake up the industry by breaking down the idea of car ownership. They are hoping to completely demolish that perception that each family must have their own vehicle — and they want to replace it with hired cars. That’s why they are currently implementing driverless cars and even hover cars into the system, making it convenient, safe and effective for people to get where they need to go in record time. Based on a test run in a cosmopolitan city, a ride in their hover car is able to cut down commute by 80% of the original time it takes for a car to drive a person to his workplace. However, it is still an idea in the making and would not replace the current need for personal cars. From personal automotives to car insurance for companies around the globe, the future of the electric and automated automotive is bright and promising, especially with Tesla at the helm. Musk has made it abundantly clear that this is the pivotal point where Tesla truly kicks into high gear, that this is just the start. If past and current projections in Tesla’s history are anything to go by, it is going to be a life changing future, indeed. And that is something to be excited about. The world needs to be prepared for a future that is unlike anything that we could have dreamed about because technology is transforming the landscape continuously and with an innovative company like Tesla leading the way, we wouldn’t have to wait too long to see what the future holds.
