The Roar of the Engines, NOT! My EV Story

As I scrolled through the channels, I stopped on what I thought was a Formula One car race. Being a fan of motor sports, it caught my attention and I started to watch the race. But as I watched these super-fast cars screaming through the New York City streets something seemed a bit off to me. The roar of the engines was not that of a high horse powered gas engine. And come to realize it wasn’t, as these were not your typical Formula Race Cars, rather these were ABB Formula E. These cars are powered by pure electricity and are helping to pave the way for the cars of tomorrow.

And that sound, well a programmed race sound. You see or rather you do not hear electric cars and to emulate a true race feel the makers of these cars have programmed the sounds emitted during the race. There is now even a debate amongst the many fans as to which cars have a better sound. You’ll have to watch a race and take a listen for yourself to decide.

But I found it absolutely fascinating to watch, and the entire event was completely carbon free. In September 2020, the ABB FIA Formula E became the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint.

https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/discover/sustainability/net-zero

Some may say, “big deal it is just a car race.” But the technology and innovation that will drive these teams to build a winning car will also translate to technology and innovation for the everyday electric vehicle. From cleaner longer lasting batteries to improved materials and manufacturing. Formula E actively promotes electric mobility and renewable energy solutions to contribute to reducing air pollution and fighting against climate change around the world.

Formula E’s founding mission is racing through the streets of the most iconic cities in the world to show just what sustainable mobility is capable of, driving electric vehicles (EV) in the race for a better, cleaner future.

But how and when will EV truly become mainstream. Gas is still king in the transportation market and will continue to be until alternatives become more accessible to the mainstream. This not only means more cost effective for the budget conscious, but EV needs to be easy. Gas stations are on every corner for a reason, to provide the fuel capacity for the over 1.3 billion cars in the world. The petroleum infrastructure is a well “Oiled” machine.

Forget the EV cost of ownership for now, just operating an EV in some areas can be work. If owning an EV causes range anxiety, that is requiring you to plan trips around battery range and charging locations then people are less likely to make the leap. This coupled with the long charging times, you just can’t pull into a station, pump in a couple gallons and be on your way in a few minutes. For a full EV charge you literally can go eat lunch and come back and the charge still may not be complete. And that is on a high capacity L3 charging station. If it is anything less, you may as well take a siesta. All this requires effort and can add anxiety to trips. The charging infrastructure is not ready for general use and must get easier if we ever expect EV’s to penetrate mainstream acceptance.

Price is one area that will change EV acceptance even faster. I have struggled with committing to going electric for a vehicle. First of all, there is typically a premium cost to purchasing an EV. And when you are on a fixed budget having to watch every penny, an EV may not be cost effective when compared to the purchase of a gas vehicle. At this point you will most certainly always be able to find a gas alternative that is cheaper than going electric. I don’t care how long you can wait for a pay back.

All this makes for a difficult decision, do you make a sacrifice of spending more coupled with some potential inconvenience for the sake of going to an EV option? Do I take a financial hit to save the planet, or do I purchase a gas vehicle and save money and contribute to my financial security?

Well, I will let you know how it goes. Even after doing the math and comparing many options of vehicles I made the decision to go EV. I realize financially it is not the best option for me, but I am diving in, hoping in a little way this may help the planet. But to be clear, I have not given up entirely on gas-based vehicles. At this point, if I do any sort of cross-country trekking with the family, it will be in my trusty gas guzzler and will be such until I don’t have to plan a constant stopping, stress creating, zig zag journey to my desired destination.

But for local use and some quick out and back trips of shorter range I am really excited about plugging in and tuning out! Now if I can get Volkswagen to create some really cool roaring engine sounds for my new ID.4, it would make my road trips even better.

For the Good

Michael Nichols