The gradual change in climate and the growing influence of man on the environment has put civilization before a choice – to pretend that nothing is happening, or to try to change the situation, to reduce the anthropogenic load on our planet.
Among the factors that have a negative impact on the life and health of people, flora and fauna, are different things. Most of these threats have already been selected countermeasures designed to reduce their impact on the outside world. Hopefully, these measures will take effect soon.
One of the key pollutants in the modern world is the car, which has contributed a lot to climate change on Earth. And although it is impossible to return the entire volume of generated exhaust gases back to the engines, it can be done in such a way that emissions from cars will decrease, thanks to the development of technologies and the emergence of new “self-run wheelchairs”, first of all, on an electric drive.
Electric vehicles are gradually increasing their share of the global automotive market. So, last year, according to various estimates, from 3 to 3.2 million units were sold in the world. Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA ) remains the leader of the global electric car market , which sold about 500 thousand cars in 2020, followed by Volkswagen (DE: VOWG ) with 422 thousand sold electric vehicles, the Chinese concern SAIC (SS:600 104 ) (over 271 thousand), Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance (227 thousand) and BMW Group (DE: BMWG ) (196 thousand).
It is noteworthy that in the markets of developed countries, it is passenger electric cars that have spread, and not commercial electric vehicles. This is explained as follows. First, competition in these markets is fiercer, which has forced manufacturers to develop new car models faster, with new engines, including electric ones. Secondly, concern for the climate and the state of the environment developed among the population of these countries earlier, which formed public opinion against key pollutants, created a demand for environmentally friendly technologies and products, including electric cars.
As a result, leading car manufacturers have been offering cars on electricity for several years, and the number of such models is constantly expanding. They also improve technologies, which allows them to improve the characteristics of electric cars every year, they can travel more and more kilometers on a single charge, it takes less time for it, and the infrastructure for such cars is developing rapidly.
Predictions of how many electric vehicles there will be in the world in a few years are getting more optimistic. According to various estimates, the number of such cars in the world by 2030 may exceed 130 million units, and by 2040 – 270 million units. And if at present the share of electric vehicles in the global park is about 3-5%, then by 2040 it can reach values of 43-48%.
Unfortunately, the situation with electric vehicles in Russia does not look the best. So, according to the results of their sales in the world last year, more than 700 units were sold in our country. No, this is not a mistake or a typo, and your eyes will not fail you. Again. More than seven hundred (700) electric vehicles were sold in the country in 2020. And the share of electric cars in the country is determined by official statistics so floridly that the number of words in the name of this indicator seems to exceed the number of electric vehicles in the country. So, the indicator is called “The share of motor vehicles with the ability to use natural gas and electricity as a motor fuel in the total number of registered motor vehicles.” So, according to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, according to the type of rolling stock “Cars, having the ability to use electric motors “in 2019, their share was – attention, drum roll !! – 0.06%.
Not to mention the fact that there is no such data for 2018 – apparently, the share was generally negligible. Moreover, not to say that our country is not at all “friendly” with electricity, nevertheless, many discoveries in this area have been made in our country. And the GOELRO plan has been created, and there is electric transport: trams, trolleybuses, and the metro, so electric buses have begun to appear, but with electric vehicles we have not very much so far.
For example, you can recall the unforgettable Yo-mobile project, which was never implemented, or the release by AvtoVAZ of a small batch of Lada ElLada cars, some of which were transferred to work as a taxi in the Stavropol Territory. However, a permanent serial production of electric vehicles in our country has not been created.
Recently, it was reported that a number of manufacturers intend to begin mass production of cars with an electric motor in Russia. So, recently it was announced by the company Sollers (MCX: SVAV ), which intends to produce the Ford Transit van. And the Zetta company, as the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov recently announced, plans to start production of its model at the end of 2021. Only Zetta intends to produce an electric passenger car, while Sollers is focusing on commercial vehicles.
While Zetta is betting on a relatively small group of consumers who have already realized the benefits of electric transport and want to reduce their environmental impact, Sollers is counting on businesses, transport and logistics companies, and possibly the purchase of such machines by government departments and organizations. It is possible that in Russia the main consumers of electric vehicles can be business and the state, and commercial and special vehicles will be produced, not cars. It is these consumers – legal entities – that can become leaders in the development of electric transport in the country, and not citizens.
As electric cars become more widespread among transport and logistics companies, delivery services, ambulances, firefighters, law enforcement agencies, utilities, citizens will increasingly see them at work. This will allow you to assess their capabilities and make a decision to buy an electric car for personal use. The development of these machines in the country is likely to follow this path.
For electric cars to increase their market share, a number of steps may need to be taken. First of all, it is necessary to create a large-scale infrastructure for electric vehicles: these are charging stations, various services for them and other things, and all this should be in sufficient quantities in all regions.
A federal informational educational program is required that tells about the characteristics of electric vehicles, the need for their wide distribution, the importance of reducing the impact on human life and health, and the environment. It is possible that for the development of electric vehicles, it will be necessary to take a number of organizational and administrative measures, for example, fiscal concessions for owners, free parking, and the provision of other benefits.
It is clear that there will be more electric vehicles in our country, but in order for this segment to develop steadily, and there will be more such cars in the Russian Federation, these and other support measures may be required.