Electric Cars.. Has the Time Really Come?

With the increasing turmoil surrounding oil prices, and the insistence of some on the requirement to reduce the burden of the carbon footprint of vehicles of all kinds—from private cars, taxis, transport buses, motorcycles, and others—which make up an approximate proportion of 41% to 45% of total carbon emissions in the transportation sector as a whole, most individuals aspire to reduce fuel charges by switching to different types of gas and hydrogen.

Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars, which combine both car fuel and electric batteries to continuously rely on the two sources to reduce fuel consumption, enjoy an advantage. At fuel prices that reached 3.74 dirhams for super fuel, filling up a Lexus RX 450h hybrid car reached 210 dirhams, enough for a moderate work week of use, while other cars reached 350 dirhams and 480 dirhams, and might not last the same period—and we are talking here about a relatively high price rate.

What is nice about this type of car is that when the car is at rest, whether in traffic congestion or while waiting, and even at low speeds, it relies mostly on the batteries that it charges itself through fuel and the resistance of the tire movement and the brakes.

What is a drawback of this type of car is the general weakness of the engine power compared to other cars, as well as the limited number of companies that provide this type of hybrid engine. Toyota takes the lead in this sector with a varied and numerous lineup that it began with its most globally famous car, the "Prius," and then most models began to come with such an option, such as the Highlander, Camry, and several editions of Lexus. Hyundai also provides limited options, as do Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen.

Electric Cars

One single company was pushing the sector forcefully into the adventure of the fully electric car, which faces many challenges and certainly has many positives, the first of which is the matter of saving the cost of fuel very significantly. By a relative estimate, the cost of charging an electric car to cover a distance of approximately 400 kilometers ranges from 15 dirhams to a maximum of 45 dirhams.

But its big drawback is the delayed release by most companies, as we find over the past few years a timid entry by companies, where they test one or two models within this category. But this matter has begun to change significantly, as we find even Lexus and Toyota recently announced an electric car, as well as the Volkswagen ID cars whose fame spread strongly due to their very reasonable price and the many features they include, as well as the Mercedes electric cars that top the luxury category, as is the custom of Benz in its cars, within the Mercedes-EQ category that enjoys luxury and performance and has several editions in various and diverse categories.

Volkswagen ID Cars

These cars have occupied the street and people have rushed toward them, and they have every right to do so, for the editions available in the markets are very numerous, despite being imported from China and not editions designated for the country. There is no shame in that, except that they lack the official agency warranty. Some also found minor, solvable challenges in installing chargers and the need to buy adapters and connectors so they work with chargers designated for other cars, such as Tesla, or those available in commercial centers and the outlets of DEWA, FEWA, the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, and other electric charging point providers, which may affect the speed and duration of charging. We find some simple challenges in "compatibility," such as the compatibility of phones with the car's screen and the connection, and other secondary matters and supported languages.

New Cars

Many companies have offered wonderful, distributor-approved models such as the Polestar 2, Rivian, Lucid Air, Hummer, and Ford, which come with beautiful specifications and excellent performance, to the point that they are considered better than much of what is currently on offer. There is a car that will be released from the Emirates under the name Al Damani, as in the producing company's announcement.

Electric Charging Speeds

The charging speed of electric cars varies depending on the connectors, the cars, the charge the battery can bear, and the type of charging devices available. The matter may seem complicated, but there are companies that provide all the requirements, and the adapters are compatible with the car you are using. Charging speeds in the advanced category reach from 18 km/hour to 128 km/hour, while in the lower category the charging speed is between 4 and 8 km/hour, as mentioned in Forbes's tests.

According to the figures announced by one of the companies that provides a fast-charging standard, it claims that charging the car for 15 minutes using this type of charging gives a distance reaching up to 300 kilometers. If this speed were available to everyone, it could be one of the best solutions to support the march of electric cars, which relatively suffer from slow charging and other challenges.

Design and Quality

Electric cars usually enjoy additional features and modern, contemporary designs full of screens and distinctive exterior and interior lighting to enhance their standing. However, some companies focus on technology but significantly neglect the quality of the other specifications and the general refinement, which may be considered one of the sources of great benefit from the car. But certainly, the companies with a long history of distinction come with contemporary designs, very high quality, and luxury that is worth the high price, unlike others.

Range of Use

Many cases highlight the greatest challenges of electric cars, as many of them have been documented with cars that set off from Abu Dhabi, reach Ajman, then return on a single charge, but they arrive with only a tiny percentage of the battery charge remaining. Therefore, we need to pay attention, because in other cases some people were forced to transport the car on a trailer to the nearest charger, or even to return home with it. The range is usually from 400 to 600 kilometers, and in some cars it reaches up to 1,000 kilometers.

Availability of Public Chargers

Many entities, commercial centers, and public parking lots provide special parking for electric cars and provide chargers to power them. But at the same time, we see a scarcity in the provision of chargers and parking at the fuel stations spread throughout the country, as well as in the car parking belonging to residential areas in buildings and towers, as most of them do not provide the service despite the many demands from residents, even for a fee. I believe that the time has come to provide more charging platforms with support for the highest international standards. But the big challenge is that these standards are in the process of growth and in a whirlwind of continuous changes and have not yet stabilized; for this reason, let us support the highest speeds and leave room for continuous updating for a fee.

Environmental Effects

Electric cars may be among the options for reducing the carbon footprint, but on the other hand, the production of batteries and the materials used in them, as well as their waste, harm the environment greatly as well. There are several reports that mention the environmental risks to lithium mines and the harm to crops, animals, and water in the places where lithium and the other rare metals required in this industry are extracted.

The Clash of the Hot Summer

As is known, batteries are greatly affected in their performance by what is related to heat, for in times of summer and high cold they lose much of their energy and their ability to maintain their energy, despite the various attempts to provide cooling and heating systems for the battery.

Choose with Caution..

Acquiring a car is an important matter for everyone, and it is often a long-term decision with a long-term impact, for a car is one of the goods that is not always replaced, usually only after several years have passed. Therefore, we must study all aspects of the car, see our need for it and its uses, as well as its specifications, in an appropriate measure from all sides, and become thoroughly acquainted with it.

Patience is the Master of the Situation

Competition has begun on a wide scale, as all companies are determined to release electric cars, so it is better to be patient and follow the developments, especially since the matter has not yet reached its peak, and there are many shortcomings, especially when we know that in most electric cars charging takes several hours, and few of them support super-fast charging, which requires high requirements from electricity service providers.