If we look back towards the turn-of-the-century there seemed to be very little in the way of support for electric vehicles amongst the political elite. This situation has changed dramatically with the US government in particular investing billions of dollars into the industry and offering billions of dollars of grants for those using electric vehicles. We have no doubt gone beyond the point of no return and governments around the world need to make electric vehicles work.
Is there an argument for making electric vehicles mandatory in city centres?
[B]Air pollution[/B]
On the surface it may seem a little draconian to force electric vehicles on those driving in city centres around the world. However, when you bear a mind the level of air pollution across many major city centres there is perhaps an argument for banning petrol/gasoline vehicles in these areas?
A number of health reports have highlighted the higher than normal instances of conditions such as asthma in city centres which are built up with little in the way of airflow. The problem is that with large buildings it is very difficult to disperse the potentially dangerous elements of pollution created by petrol/gasoline vehicles. The fact it hangs in the air for longer than normal and has certainly led to an increase in conditions such as asthma.
[B]Should electric vehicles be mandatory?[/B]
Some would argue that it would make sense to make electric vehicles mandatory in built-up city centres but this would not help the cause. In many ways the fact that traditional fuel car companies have attempted to block the development of electric cars every step of the way has in many cases brought more people towards electric vehicles. If the situation was to be turned full circle and electric vehicles pushed on the motoring public we would likely get a backlash and a slowdown in development of the industry.
All we really need to do is educate both the motoring and the non-motoring population about the benefits of cleaner air and electric cars. In many ways this simple education will help more than the grants offered for those purchasing eco-friendly vehicles which have no doubt helped to grow the industry. Once you make any product or any service mandatory you risk a backlash by the general public.
[B]Should local authorities lead the way?[/B]
There is a growing argument that because politicians, governments and local authorities across the globe have invested heavily in the industry, surely they should be leading the way? If this was to happen then the development and the acceptance of electric vehicles would almost certainly become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whether any local authority or government would be brave enough to go down this particular route is debatable because everything they do seems to depend upon how the general public would accept it.
On the other hand, if politicians are investing billions of dollars of taxpayers money into the electric car sector then surely they should have done their research and be confident of the level of service available?