#33 – Inside Our Industry – Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure

Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure

We have a very keen interest in the ever-growing electric vehicle (EV) industry. We have shared many reports with our readers, going back to The Agurban days, about the emergence of EVs. As you may know, numerous manufacturers are increasing their production of EVs, while minimizing or eliminating internal combustion engine (gasoline and diesel) vehicles.

Consider “fueling” your EV. There are over 160,000 gasoline stations in the United States. And all gas engines can re-fuel at these stations. Electric vehicle charging facilities are in their infancy, with only about 4,000 available in the U.S., and the network of available charging stations is highly fractured across ownership and technology. Tesla, probably the best known EV manufacturer, not only rolled out their product but also built out its network so no one who considered buying a Tesla needed to worry much about charging their vehicle.

Once we have all these EVs in use, they will need to be charged. Utilities would have to generate more electricity to support the transportation sectors, as well as keeping the lights on in businesses and homes. Can our current systems handle this extra demand? Can all that extra power come from renewable energies?

Just last week, General Motors announced plans to phase out gasoline-powered cars and trucks and sell only vehicles that have zero emissions by 2035. Other current and new auto manufacturers will be making similar announcements, if they haven’t already.

Stay tuned.