Automotive jobs in the electric vehicle market have been steadily increasing, so what is the future of the industry?
There has been plenty of contradictory press around the electric car since the Prius began offering available hybrid power to the public. Many automotive jobs experts look upon the growth of the electric vehicle sector as a huge bonus, seeing the potential for cleaner transport, cleaner energy solutions and easier solutions for the standard family car.
There are oppositions to these opinions though throughout the industry, as questions about reliability, ease of manufacture and the availability of charging stations and trained mechanics are raised consistently, and seemingly without solid answers.
In TechRadar.Net, technology and cars journalist Jeremy Laird sought to put a few of these misconceptions to bed. In the eyes of many the electric car is a vehicle solution that cannot be sidelined any longer, and all signs point towards an imminent boom in electric car production and adoption.
They are perfectly suited to purpose
Despite the popular opinion that electric cars are slower, less efficient and harder to refuel than conventional petrol, diesel or even hybrid cars, studies into the way cars are used in the UK have shown that electric cars could in fact be the perfect like-for-like vehicle for almost 300,000 car sales in the country according to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
How does this figure factor out? Research into the buying and usage habits of b-segment hatchbacks and superminis (the most popular types of car in the UK currently) by the SMMT revealed that after purchase, a third of all these cars are driven, resold, driven, resold and then scrapped before ever making a single journey over 100 miles long.
What this shows then, is that supermini electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf (pictured) don’t necessarily need to have the longevity and battery power to sustain them over long distance drives – the fact is that a large percentage of its target demographic will barely use it to full capacity even in an unmodified state.
Charging is an easier concept to grasp than anticipated
The thought of having to charge the family car before setting off on the school run is somewhat daunting. Perhaps somebody forgets to plug it in? What many are realising about the electric car now however, is that getting to grips with a rechargeable car is a much simpler process than it seems. After all, charging phones and laptops overnight now seems second nature despite it being a relatively recent addition to our evening schedules.
The useage of electric cars will most likely be in suburban areas with driveways and garages for easy access to charging stations or sockets. Given this refers to a large proportion of the UK population’s current living arrangements, the adoption of electric cars might not be such an upheaval after all.
Many city centre car parks already have ready to use charging stations, the availability of these will only increase as demand rises.
Read the full original opinion piece here.
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