Electric vehicles are quickly growing in popularity. Viewed as a better alternative to fossil fuel vehicles, electric vehicle technology is still in its infancy with plenty of room to grow. Several factors including shortcomings with technology, range anxiety, and compatibility are all obstacles currently facing electric vehicle OEMs in today’s market. With that being said, plenty of opportunities and solutions are available to counteract these roadblocks. Let’s discuss some of the downsides electric vehicles face and then dive deeper into the solutions available as well as those coming soon.
Availability and Range Anxiety
Despite the roads still being dominated by more traditional methods of transportation, electrical vehicles have become increasingly common around the world. In many areas, however, charging station availability is still a common concern amongst electric vehicle owners. Depending on the location, charging stations can be few and far between, directly correlated with the city’s development and modern infrastructure. This leads to range anxiety – the uneasy feeling of being concerned about one’s ability to drive longer distances and able to find a charging station before their battery runs out. A restricted charging network is the cause for this uneasiness and is one of the biggest pain points for owners.
Lengthy Charge Times and Compatibility
The time vehicles take to charge has become a major point of contention when comparing electric vehicles to traditional gas-powered cars. At a gas station, filling up a car is a simple and streamlined process that only takes a few minutes. With electric vehicles, however, this process can take up to 40 minutes. Combined with range anxiety, this can quickly become inconvenient and problematic to many people considering owning an EV. Compatibility for both payment processing and plugin connection type can make usable charging stations even more of a headache. Although it seems as though electric vehicles have a long way to go before taking over roads, the newest technology and ideologies have been used to tackle these concerns.
The Future of EV: Fast, Efficient, and Convenient
The potential for electric vehicles on a broader scale has not only become more feasible, but it will also soon become the standard. Range anxiety will soon become a thing of the past with battery and infrastructure improvements. Batteries are continuing to progress with longer ranges becoming achievable on a single charge while also greatly reducing the time required to charge. Infrastructure is continuously being improved through more stations with broader compatibility to serve most electric vehicles on the road. Finally, AI will have the capability to reduce charging anxiety through providing guidance to the nearest compatible station and best times for a stop.
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