2020, the year of the electric car

The improvement on batteries and cost reduction, and the a strict regulation regarding emissions, will create the ideal conditions for the development of battery powered vehicles. The revolution on mobility is here, and we’ll begin to see its impact in 2020. After a decade of uncertainty, the European Union has established a new code on emissions that will be put into effect on January the first.

Now that citizens are aware of the importance of tackling global warming, it is already one of the global issues affecting the future of our planet. One of the missing pieces in the virtuous cycle of sustainable transportation was the technology needed to implement the change, and also making the green or sustainable vehicle affordable for the mass people. The challenge of improving the conditions of the air we breath affects all sectors. And, although transportation only produces 14% of CO2 global emissions, electric mobility in general, and specially the vehicles run by batteries, can become a key tool to revert the situation.

The solution might be closer with the use of the Lithium batteries used in mobile phones which, in a second phase and gathered in big modules, have become the heart that has brought to live hope revolving the electric vehicle. The newest electric car are arriving –for the moment, developed by big companies and with high prices– and have been designed upon a draft that only considers the use of these kind of batteries, which means the optimization of all their advantages, like the possibility of using the space freed by the absence of a traditional engine, gears, radiator, etc.

The new regulation that will be made effective on January the first will demand that the average emission do not go over 95 g/km of CO2. Any company exceeding this figure will pay 95 euros per every gram over the limit. Two hypothetical scenarios: if a producer sells 1,7 million of unities breaking the rule, that company could be paying around 160 million euros before 2020 ends. Those models with more emissions will mean greater sanctions for their suppliers, which could mean the end of their business, specially for those who are less profitable. This situation will increase the price of those cars with a tradicional engine, while the electric vehicle will probable become more accesible.

Source: El País