In 2011 the electric car that you could buy from major car dealerships became a reality. With Nissan LEAFs already for sale, and Mitsubishi i-MiEVs, and Peugeot iONs soon to become available, electric cars now share floor space with petrol and diesel models.
Electric vehicles have also won top prizes at the World Car Awards. The Nissan LEAF took top prize in the overall category to become the first electric vehicle to be crowned 2011 World Car of the Year. The Chevrolet Volt won World Green Car in 2011. Electric cars are being recognised by the industry as a whole for their contribution to private transportation and are becoming commonplace in showrooms in the UK.
Car makers are investing heavily into EVs.
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BMW have created a new sub-brand ‘BMW i’ to carry their progressive stance into the electric vehicle market by promising not only electric powered cars, but built using carbon fibres to reduce weight all manufactured in a renewably powered production plant.
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Volvo is involved in a new project exploring the development of wireless charging for electric cars. The car maker hopes to have a complete range of electric and plug-in hybrid cars by 2020. Wireless charging – also known as inductive charging – a charging plate is buried in the ground, for instance in the driveway at home where the car is parked. When the car is parked above the plate, energy from the plate is transferred without physical contact.
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Audi is also set to join in with by reviving the A2 model designator for their Electric Cars. Audi recently acquired a number of offshore turbines helping to offset the energy used in building pilot fleet of A3s, and is possibly going to pursue the same strategy to keep the A2 production program carbon neutral.
Whether it’s driven by environmental factors, or consumer demand it’s clear the automotive industry is taking the electric car seriously.
It seems every major automotive manufacturer is planning to join in and provide their zero/low emission vehicles to the mass public, with automotive industry awards recognising their strengths.
SWITCH EV is ready to support the development of EV charging infrastructure to ensure the investment made in electric cars and related technology will enable drivers to charge throughout the UK and beyond.