Should I buy an electric vehicle (EV)? I have been asking this question non-stop for several years now, and I'm on the brink of purchasing one. A friend of mine recently pointed out that we both started looking for a new car around the same time (two years ago) but he took a few months for his decision. I have yet to purchase one. What's the hold up? Change.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not resistant to technological change, I'm the Green Tech Nerd! My parents bought one of the early Apple Macintosh computers in 1985. I had one of the first palm pilots - remember those? I'm an early adopter, the first to try out new software or tech, especially if it's better for the environment than what we had before. No, the change that is disorienting is the breakneck speed of change in the green technology sector, especially transportation. The UK-based web-show Fully Charged is one of the standout leaders in documenting this change. Their YouTube channel has documented just how rapidly the UK, Scandinavia, Europe, and China have surged ahead in greening their transportation sector through EVs. In North America, change has been far slower, but is still breathtaking. Tesla, the world's leading EV manufacturer based in California is the leading consumer brand name. But a company you might not have heard from called Rivian is giving them a serious run for their money. At time of writing, InsideEVs reports that Rivian has $30m in deposits from customers for their line of fully electric pick up trucks and SUVs that have yet to roll off the assembly line. Rivian and the deep-pocketed Tesla are involved in court proceedings which just shows how serious the battle is for green technology in transportation.
And the change isn't limited to cars, trucks and SUVs. Electrek reported last year that Amazon committed to buying 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian to enter service between 2021 and 2024. In January, the global courier giant UPS announced it would purchase 10,000 electric delivery vans from a UK EV startup called Arrival. So here I sit on the fence. For me it's not about whether to EV or not to EV, but when to EV. The technology keeps improving the price keeps coming down. Over the last decade, the cost of manufacturing batteries that power electric cars has reduced by nearly 90%. So it feels like a risk to jump now, for fear that a new technology that is cheaper and better will come along in a few months. If you're sitting on the fence like me about buying one, you might at least want to consider investing in the companies making batteries and EVs.
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