EVs have come under intense scrutiny and criticism recently due to their re-emergence in the market. Most of the topics that have been brought up are old issues that were present in the previous false dawns of EVs. These concerns can be broadly placed into two categories:
1. Will an EV be able to do the job of a conventional vehicle?
2. Will an EV be able to reduce the problems of environmental impact and energy security related to personal vehicle transport?
The second category can be answered by relating to the fuel source used to power EVs and the materials and techniques used to build them. If the fuel used to generate the electricity for EVs is of similar carbon intensity the pollution is simply being exported and centralised from multiple sources on roads to rural power plants. Now this may not be an entire failure as centralisation of emissions away from urban centres does have benefits for human health. Energy security is dependent on where the fuel is sourced from and if this source is stable in both overall production and also price level.
The first category relates almost entirely to the practical functionality of an EV such as luggage capacity, performance, safety and range. Range is a reoccurring theme for EVs and technological innovation has taken place in an attempt to overcome range anxiety. Battery technology is enjoying heavy investment levels and range extending EVs (that incorporate small ICEs to recharge the battery) could be of significant potential.
