Electric car technology is not new. Emerging in the early 1800s, electric cars were the most popular vehicle of choice in the US by 1910.
But the discovery of vast oil fields in Texas in the late 1800s made oil incredibly cheap and abundant, significantly reducing the cost of running internal combustion engines. Without sophisticated battery technology to increase the range and speed of EVs, they were left in the dust.
In hindsight it seems short sighted that more time and money wasn’t invested in developing EVs. Even back then EVs were cleaner, lighter, and easier to run.
By the early 1900s scientists had also confirmed a link between carbon emissions and global warming. Was there an orchestrated attempt to quash EV technology? Who knows for sure. There’s no doubt though that fossil fuel companies have profited enormously from combustion engines.
And now we find ourselves living on a planet rife with fossil fuel pollution – most of it irreversible at least for a few thousand years – and with a global economy dependent on oil.
One thing we can take from the US/Israeli war in the Middle East is that suddenly everyone seems to have woken up to the stupidity of being so reliant on oil. The current US President has unwittingly launched a war on oil. Sales of EVs, solar panels, and heat pumps are going through the roof – globally! And research into renewable technology is delivering more promising results than ever before.
We already have the technology to transform industry. Andrew Forrest, Executive Chairman of Fortescue Metals Group, is investing billions to transition his iron ore operations to clean technology, replacing diesel-powered equipment with battery-electric trucks, trains, and drilling rigs, while also investing in in-house battery and charging technologies
And scientists at Australia’s CSIRO have developed the world’s first proof-of-concept quantum battery; technology which has the potential to charge batteries in seconds and enables them to store energy for years. While we won’t be seeing this utilised in EVs anytime soon, it’s a significant development.
So, even though each day we wake up to more monumentally dumb decisions being made by a handful of idiots, we should know that there are many more people working hard to find solutions to the mess we’re in.
Let’s hope our governments have the brains to fund them appropriately. A nice big long-overdue tax on gas exports could easily pay for it.
