Why electric cars will take over sooner than you think.
You probably haven't even driven one yet, let alone seriously contemplated buying one, so the prediction may sound a bit bold, but bear with us. We are in the middle of the biggest revolution in motoring since Henry Ford's first production line started turning back in 1913. And it is likely to happen much more quickly than you imagine.
Many industry observers believe we have already passed the tipping point where sales of electric vehicles (EVs) will very rapidly overwhelm petrol and diesel cars. It is certainly what the world's big car makers think, especially now that battery prices (the most expensive component) are plummeting.
Jaguar plans to sell only electric cars from 2025, Volvo from 2030 and last week the British sportscar company Lotus said it would follow suit, selling only electric models from 2028.
And it isn't just premium brands.
General Motors says it will make only electric vehicles by 2035, Ford says all vehicles sold in Europe will be electric by 2030 and VW says 70 percent of its sales will be electric by 2030.
This isn't a fad, this isn't greenwashing.
Yes, the fact many governments around the world are setting targets to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles gives impetus to the process. Take Norway as the market leading example, where over 60 percent of vehicles purchased this year are electric.
But what makes the end of the internal combustion engine inevitable is a technological revolution. And technological revolutions tend to happen very quickly. Remember the early days of the internet?