A lot of news about EVs these days more charging stations, more legislation, everything seems to be growing quickly.
But in practice, everything is not so clear. The access to chargers, their availability and the issue of apartment buildings not providing access... all of that is kind of inconsistent.
It seems that there are more EVs than infrastructure to support them.
Are things improving, or is it all just hype?
I had my own “shit” EV moment today.
Battery at 9% and there’s a charging point nearby according to maps… seems all good right? Wrong, first charging point turned out to be in an office, second one wasn’t working and I can only watch as the battery goes down and do the math.
Eventually I found one that works… although it just seemed like luck.
There’s nothing wrong with less chargers. It’s the unpredictability, you can’t be sure whether it is accessible, functioning or free.
Petrol is straightforward. With EVs at low battery… it’s a shot in the dark.
Anyone have similar experience?
EVs are marketed as being the solution to all environmental problems, promising a "green future" free of emissions. However, they do not have any magical properties, and their environmental impact depends on where they draw their energy from. If the power grid uses fossil fuels like coal or natural gas, then there has been no net improvement at all. Furthermore, the materials used for batteries must first be mined, which poses potential environmental risks and raises ethical questions. Using an electric vehicle is not as simple as filling up at a gas station, either, since charging infrastructure is not yet widespread enough. In addition, they can cost much more upfront than regular cars, while the battery replacement later down the road can also be a significant financial burden. Lastly, there are issues with recycling spent batteries at scale, meaning that our efforts at solving one environmental problem could lead to another. While there is nothing inherently wrong with electric vehicles, they are not a silver bullet for the environmental crisis we face.