When California announced in August it would ban the sale of “gasoline cars” by 2035, it was another reminder of how quickly things are changing in the automotive industry.California is perhaps the most car-centric place on earth, the birthplace of hot-rodding and so much performance car culture. Many urban areas have no footpaths, let alone cycleways. Route 56 in San Diego is 22 lanes wide and still clogs up.
Australia isn’t yet making any bold commitments. Odd then that the local Volvo office should lead the way, promising it would sell only fully electric vehicles in this country by 2026. That’s four years ahead of its head office commitment, and shows the company throwing not only the ICE under the bus, but its own plug-in hybrid models, too.
Although Audi says it will cease research and development on ICE globally from 2026, the engines themselves may stick around in new cars for certain markets. Damien Meredith, chief operating officer of Kia Motors Australia, says from a product point of view, there’s never been a more exciting time in the motor industry. “EVs are moving very quickly and will be in a dominant position sooner rather than later,” he says.
Right. If you say so...
If EV’s were so good why do they work so hard to try and make them popular