As we enter 2020, it seems like the mainstream market is finally starting to warm up to the idea of owning an EV. Electric cars come with their perks, but they also have a couple of downsides. The most important of those is definitely the charging time. While manufacturers are making efforts to find better ways to recharge your car, internal combustion engines are still winning this unofficial battle.
Battery-powered cars have been making considerable strides these past few years but we’re still a long way out from seeing a car recharged with enough energy to cover 200 miles in 5 minutes. That’s where gasoline or diesel powered engines still reign supreme. BMW, like a lot of car makers out there, is spending more on research regarding this topic but according to them, the internal combustion engines will still be around for 30 years.
Speaking to Automotive News Europe, BMW’s chief of R&D, Klaus Froehlich said: “The best assumption is that electrified vehicles will account for 20 percent to 30 percent of worldwide sales by 2030, but with a very diverse global distribution. […] However, our four- and six-cylinder diesels will remain for at least another 20 years and our gasoline units for at least 30 years.” Some have rushed to call this absurd but it might not be.
In a first step towards cutting out ICE cars altogether, people will start adopting hybrids on a wider scale. Then, for high-performance cars, V12 and V8 engines will be replaced by straight six units or 2-liter 4-cylinder power plants, because that’s what the market will be asking for.
The performance of electric vehicles is impressive, but without a high-revving engine that actually makes a sound, most enthusiasts might be disappointed. And that part could be made possible by smaller engines.
Therefore, don’t expect BMW’s line-up in 30 year to be made up by cars like the 540i or the X5 xDrive40i, but instead by EVs and hybrids for the most part. Even M will go the hybrid and electric route.
[Source: Automotive News Europe]
He’s right on saying ICE units will be around for that long and may even be longer than that. Most developing countries do not have the infrastructure and capability to build up a charging network unless manufacturers help fork out the bill. Where I live, hybrids and EVs are taboo. None of my friends or family own any sort of hybrid vehicle. Batteries costs a bomb to replace and the resale value of the said vehicles are so terrible….ultra terrible actually. For an example, a G30 530e lost 1/3 of its value in under a year here.
Agreed. They are not going away for a long time
You know, Bmw M took the sales crown from AMG last year selling 3,700 units more than AMG. This would not have been
possible without the powerful M760i.
Where are hybrids and EVs “taboo”? You make some weird assumptions. Batteries are getting better and cheaper all the time. Charging networks ARE being put in by manufacturers – have you ever heard of the Supercharger Network? Of course some ICE vehicles will probably always be available. The question is how few we can drive that number down to.
Basically anywhere outside Western Europe, USA, Korea, Japan and costal China. In the rest of the world the number of fast charging stations on the roads is … basically zero. And will remain so for many decades due to non-existing money to invest millions and billions into infrastructure in, for example, Brazil or Nigeria or even Australian outback. And ICE (or PHEV) cars will still be needed there.
Exactly. So many countries/regions in the world have other, much much bigger problems, than thinking about their cars and its powertrain. Hell, they even try to survive the next day…in those areas they will be happy with anything that has wheels. This wont change in 20-30 years, this is for sure!
Read Froelich’s interview in Automotive News Europe, BEV demand will continue to be inconsistent due to lack of infrastructure, cost & consumer demand. Yes, BEV are being legislated into existence in some large markets, but right now PHEV continue to outsell them because pure electric does not meet the needs of most buyers. Nor can it be assumed, given the natural resources involved, that batteries will continue to remain cheap as demand increases. Kinda like lifetime guarantee, or free internet for life, hype>reality, we don’t know what BEV reality will be. Yet. How long until 1st electric OPEC?
I thought any new vehicle depreciated by @ least 1/3 as soon as it left the lot & thus consumer guides always say buy used?
Electric vehicle believers make me laugh when they say that Tesla is “the future of the automobile” (Mercedes-Benz want their old slogan back) and yet the current best selling cars are gas guzzling crossovers, SUVs and pickup trucks, while Teslas don’t even feature among the top ten best selling cars and Tesla loses money on every Model Whatever they sell. However, car makers will make EVs just to fill a quota imposed by politicians and the European Union.
There is a variety of reasons people don’t buy ev. A less known fact in Germany is that towing trucks have to have special equipment and training. The only truck in our region has to cover a radius of more than roughly 200km. He’s the only one for years now and when someone ran out of juice or has a defect the waiting time can be very long. Also the charging infrastructure is a challenge in itself. You can’t just place a charger on parking lots. First there is a lot of bureaucracy to deal with and then someone finds out the next power distributor can handle not enough juice and the city has to pay the cable and then you find out the city is not allowed to run this charger for another layer of laws and bureaucracy. Overall it’s a mess. At the current rate we build these there will be enough by 2120 – may be.
They will be but In statistically reduced volumes. Look what just one persons lifetime has done to our air and increased respiratory healthcare premiums. Germany has the ICE motors down to an art. It is really hard to leave a pinnacle and start all over again on the bottom with EV’s. Tesla has a 6 year lead.
Wow, how much energy does it take for a car to cover 200 miles in 5 minutes ?