I hear this (and last?) year biggest hype is the electric car, I'm all for it! It's been too long the automotive industry has been stuck in an uninovative loop for decades (against all odds: building bigger cars, adding more horsepower,...). Yet, mentalities are slowly evolving and the economic crisis has certainly had an inpact on how people buy such products. Telsa motors, after creating the most sexy and attractive electric car ever, is now focusing on a high-end sedan and setting itself as one of the most innovative company in this sector. All mainstream manufacturers are now coming up with an electric model (example: the Citroën C-Zero, based on a common platform together with Peugeot and Mitsubishi. Yet at a price tag of EUR 34000, I'd still rather buy a BMW 3-Series coupé, thank you). Speaking of BMW, they are also moving in that direction with their own line of electricity guzzlers: the i-series. All that make me think we're slowly moving towards a petrol-free automotive industry. It's all great and for the good of mankind! If only I had the money...But wait, let's take a step back and think a little. Electricity today is produced mainly by non-renewable source - more than 80% worldwide (Fossil 67,2%, nuclear 13,4%). I couldnt find any reliable numbers on the future evolution of these numbers, but something tells me that the "less polutant" of non-renewable energies is going to be mostly phased out pretty quickly. So what's left to fill the gap, and to respond to the higher demand that the electric car will inevitably put on the worldwide electricity production? Isn't that shifting the problem? One positive of this trend is that, indeed, the problem will be shifted from individual to collectivities and/or to bigger corporations, where it is easier to organise big changes. People will do their share (they wont have a choice and buy electric or hybrid cars), but it is clear to me that the biggest challenge stays at the level of electricity production, wich is moving way to slowly today to solve the problem.
Some interesting numbers for the EU here
[EDIT] There are some interesting insight about Electric Cars in this article as well
[EDIT 2] Apparently, electric cars are much more efficient than fuel cars, meaning that with the same amout of oil to produce electricity or to fuel a car, the electric car would ride longer. "Typically, conventional gasoline engines effectively use only 15% of the fuel energy content to move the vehicle or to power accessories, and diesel engines can reach on-board efficiencies of 20%, while electric drive vehicles have on-board efficiency of around 80%." Now that's the real bonus I think. Yet, I suppose a oil-fired electric plant doesnt have a 100% efficency either. But still.
