gepubliceerd op 2009-03-25 00:00:00.0
Joost Bulk, graduated on the subject of the future of the electric car at Wageningen University, studying Environmental Sciences, with the specialisation of Environmental System Analysis:
It is very possible that cars as we know them now will soon have to compete with a green alternative: the electric car. Electric cars use electricity and therefore are not dependent on oil. If the electricity they use is generated from wind- or water power, they are even independent of fossil fuels. Strongly fluctuating oil prices, uncertainty of the world’s oil supply, dependence on oil from politically unstable regions and an increasing awareness of the environment make the future of the combustion engine insecure.
Recently the development of electrical cars has picked up speed. This offers an alternative for the combustion engine. Israel, Denmark, Portugal and California have already decided to enable large-scale use of electric cars by providing an infrastructure to charge electric cars. In the Netherlands electric transport is also feasible, cheap and environmentally friendly.Because of the high population density in the Netherlands a charging-infrastructure can be realised efficiently. The mains electricity is already available, therefore the only thing that needs to be done is the placement of charging poles at parking lots so electric cars can be charged away from home.
Compared to conventional cars, electric cars are not dependent on oil, emit less CO2 and fine particles and have lower fuel costs. Aside from fuel costs, the total costs per kilometre are lower for electric cars than conventional cars in the situation in the Netherlands. So despite the higher cost of purchase, lower fuel- and maintenance costs and tax advantages make driving an electric car cheaper. On average you would save 6 cents per kilometre by switching to driving an electric car, which means you can save hundreds to thousands of euros per year.
Based on scenarios regarding the expected development of electricity prices, costs of purchase, maintenance costs and taxes, there is a good possibility that driving an electric car will remain the cheaper option in the near future. In particular, the low electricity costs, the high efficiency, the minimal maintenance, and tax advantages make the electric car significantly cheaper.
Besides advantages to do with costs, the electric car is not dependent on one energy source, as electricity can be generated from several different sources. The electric car has a high efficiency, which results in a low CO2 emission. The performance of the electric car is more than adequate to meet the daily demands of the average Dutchman.
