Cars,cars......

I read recently optimistic article from some journalist, who compared EV-cars growth to internet penetration, and anticipated extremally fast, inflationary replacement of current vehicles to electric in just a few years.

I like EV cars, but do not like nonsense. Even if all governements of the world (including India, China, Brasil and other populous but yet to get rich ) issued ban on production of combustion motors tomorrow, the sheer replacement of the worldwide fleet would take ca 20 years, by industrial reproduction rate. But such ban would mean that not only electricity for cars would have to be subsidized with low taxes , but also EV-cars would have to be handed out for free, almost - majority of today's car buyers worldwide buy them secondhand, because they have no money for the new. I doubt that environmental conscience would move lawmakers to such radical decisions ; after all individual driving is, for most cases, an individual freedom, pleasure and luxury option - there is a plenty of more urgent issues as food , heat or medicines, or - public mass transport.

Except for the rate of replacement and bottlenecks in car factories, there is a number of constraints , as:

- production of electricity;

- throughput of transmission lines and health issues thereof;

- environmental pollution by used batteries,

which are not visible now but will be, when number of EV exceeds just 20% of the total cars number. (Remember "Horse manure problem" in XIX_century Paris?).

Apart of that, budgets of many countries are built on oil and fuels taxes ; how to subsidize electricity, when these sources are lost?

But, EV-revolution, as it is called , creates big and significant opportunity: to reconsider and change the model of individual transportation. First of all - if almost whole world sets speed limit to 130 km/hrs , why build faster cars? Just set the electronic limit :in the town : 50 ; outside :90, on the autobahn:130 km/h. Secondly: who needs 0-100 km/h in 3 seconds? Driving licenses are issued to adults. 20 seconds acceleration, uniform for each type, would make city traffic more smooth. And thirdly - do we really need cars for long-distance travel? Trains are faster, buses much more economic. Ferrying one ton of electric batteries for 1000km just to deliver one person of 100kg does not mean energetical or environmental prudence. An idividual car should serve local mobility, full stop.

All 3 issues translate into a small, light, slow town car with relatively small batteries - a solution for educated, environmentally-conscious, reasonable XXI-century man.

Let me just note that I'm not enviromental militant and would sincerely support further development of aviation based on jet fuel. After all, travel - is pleasure...