Mahindra and Mahindra took over Reva i Electric car company to expand its presence in the electric segment, GM is all set to roll out its electric car Chevrolet Volt, Nissan is ready with the Nissan Leaf that has received phenomenal response in the world market and Tata Motor also displayed the electric version of Tata Nano at various auto expos. The electric car trend is catching up fast across the world and it seems like a greener future is not too far.
But there are a few points related to electric cars that the experts, critics and oil lobbyists like to point out, first one being the lack of proper infrastructure to support too many electric cars. By next year the world is expected to get several hundred thousand electric cars and hybrids. But there are not enough charging stations to support these electric cars. Also, electric cars take time to charge unlike oil driven ones that can be re-fuelled within minutes. A partial charge takes about 30miutes while a full charge can take up to eight hours. The regulatory authorities do not have well developed methods to test electric cars for crash, fire and other hazardous situations. In case of fire, the fire fighting departments need to be well equipped to fight electric fires.
But it is not just the charging stations and car testing authorities that lack infrastructure even our houses are ill equipped. Companies like Nissan plan to send an electrician to ensure there are right fuses and circuit breakers installed but there is still a lot that needs to be done. Even the power supply grids are not capable of handling too much demand for energy at once.
Most importantly there are no strict laws regarding the disposal of car batteries that can become a threat to the same environment electric cars are trying to protect. Lastly, are electric cars feasible in a country like ours where there is always a shortage of electricity for basic use!