What if we proposed a transition from electric to petrol cars?

The Driven

Here is a different look at electric cars: Let’s imagine what it would be like if we all had electric cars now and some people were proposing a transition to petrol cars.

Import costs: If we switch to petrol instead of using electric cars we will need to import our petrol from other countries, how many billions of dollars will that cost us every year? And most of that money will go to middle eastern countries making them rich and us poor. Electricity is generated in Australia from renewables and coal, no money leaving the country required.

Fuel security: Our economy and country will be dependent on regular supplies of fuel. If there was a war or other crisis, our country will grind to a stop in about 2–3 weeks.

Servicing: An electric car needs a small service every 100,000km, a petrol car needs 10 times as many services and every 100,000km needs a major service. Petrol vehicle service costs will be about 10–20 times as much as electric vehicles.

Fuel costs: A petrol car would cost about 4–10 times as much per km in fuel compared to an electric vehicle.

Infrastructure: To switch to petrol, we would need to build 1,000s of petrol stations all over the country, and these would all have to be staffed. You couldn’t get fuel if a petrol station was closed and you would need to plan your trip around petrol station opening times. We already have a national electricity grid with power and chargers available 24/7.

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated sister site, The Driven, click here…