Is it still a good idea to buy a
gas-powered car? Predictions on the migration to electric vehicles.
With a wave of popularity, electric vehicles are beginning to carve out more than their own small corner of the automotive industry. In fact, EVs seem to be taking over. So what does this say about the future of gas-powered vehicles? Are they doomed, or is there still enough reason to buy and drive them? Let’s find out.
Nobody
wants to be stuck with antiquated technology. This is why people jump to get
the newest iPhone regardless of whether they actually need it or not. Getting left behind the times doesn’t feel good,
but what feels worse is the possibility of buying an expensive item that is
soon to be obsolete. Imagine purchasing a shiny, new gas-powered vehicle only
to find out that everything is soon to be electric.
Will
individual parts for gas-guzzlers still be in production in the near future?
Will gas stations ever begin shutting down? These questions would seem crazy if
asked 20 years ago, but today these make sense—they are legitimate
concerns.
One
way to find out if the future is truly electric only or not is to look at what
the big car companies are saying. For instance, NPR recently published an
interview with the heads of the Ford Motor Company to discuss Ford’s struggling
EV sales:
“Legacy
automakers have struggled to make EVs profitably. Ford lost a billion dollars
on its EV unit last quarter…The company loses money on every Ford Lightning it
sells — and that was before it knocked thousands of dollars off the sticker
price this summer, trying to keep up with a Tesla-triggered price war that's
pulling EV prices down.”
This
statement alone bodes well for gas over electric–but we can’t stop reading
there. Look at what Ford’s response is to such a massive financial loss:
“Despite setbacks, the company that revolutionized the auto industry with the
Model T is determined to be a major player in the electric revolution, too.”
The
fact that a venerable car company, that is currently losing big money on EVs,
is still willing to plug ahead with its EV line says something. Not only that,
it looks as though most car companies (worldwide) plan to only produce and sell
EVs by the year 2035. Despite the present hiccup in EV sales (at least for
Ford), the electric-powered car doesn’t seem to be in danger of
disappearing.
So
what of the gas-powered older sibling to the EV? Is it safe to purchase one or
will it turn out to be a massive waste of money?
If
you think about it, right now might be the best time to buy either a gas- or an
electric-powered vehicle. Or both! 2035 is over 10 years away, so going gas
isn’t necessarily a bad idea, as we aren’t going to see gas stations or
replacement parts disappear anytime soon. On the other side of that, electric
is growing in leaps and bounds and we are seeing charging stations pop up all
over the country.
So
the answer is to buy whatever you want…for now. If the future truly is to be
electric, there will be a time (within the next 10-12 years?) when going
gas-powered will be futile. But that time has yet to come, and we suggest
keeping an eye on what major car companies are doing–not the number of EV
sales, but what they plan to do. And for now, it looks like they are all
plugging in to electric.
CCP Web Design & Liberty Buick GMC Writer, Andrae Bergeron
