Are electric cars the future for executive travel services?
While the electric car was first coined as a concept back in 1884, they weren't taken fully seriously for a long time, not until the beginning of the 21st Century. They seemed impractical given that they need to be recharged, not to mention that the system of petrol stations is well established throughout the world. But, given the rising popularity of electric cars over the last couple of years, are the future or not, and how this will impact on executive travel services such as chauffeuring?
A change in innovation; the rise of electric cars
It's no secret that the petrol cars that are currently on the road are damaging the environment. With over 1.2 billion drivers in the world, there is a huge number of vehicles causing harm and in more ways than one. The need to manufacture materials like steel, plastics, and rubber, as well as toxic batteries and the use of fuel and damage to air quality are all causing upset to the environment.
This has called for a change in innovation when it comes to the car industry. People aren't just thinking about making a nicer looking and faster car anymore, they're thinking about the environment as well. Although fossil fuels aren't in danger of running out anytime soon, we have begun to realise that we need to protect the environment for future generations. Perhaps the biggest name associated with electric cars is Elon Musk and his environmentally friendly Tesla range. The genius displayed with these inventions has made electric cars much more popular and well-known around the world.
While electric cars are still quite expensive at around £25,000, we all know that prices rapidly drop for new inventions as more and more companies attempt cheaper models. This is reflected in the fact that Tesla isn't quite mainstream yet, with only roughly 90,000 units being sold per year. However, we're currently in a brilliant age for innovation, and there are always people looking for better ways of doing things compared to how they are currently done.
Global warming and our environment
Global warming, environmental damage, and pollution are currently big problems all over the world, and we've seen stories such as China putting a ban on cars for a few days to try and reduce the toxic pollution levels that were affecting the local residents and their health.
Chauffeur driven electric cars will help to solve pollution issues in countries such as China
With other huge names behind the environmental awareness movement, such as Sir Richard Branson and Leonardo DiCaprio, there is no doubt that there is huge pressure on businesses and governments to make the necessary changes to protect the environment for the future.
Electric cars are the future simply because they don't cause anywhere near as much harm as conventional cars do. That said, they aren't completely harmless to the environment as they do still give off emissions, this is much less damaging than the fumes we are used to today though. Taking everything above into account, and the fact that battery prices have more than halved since 2010, it's very likely that we will see electric cars to become more and more mainstream in the near future.
While it was interestingly and controversially revealed in a documentary last year that it's not actually pollution and cars that are causing the most damage to the environment, it's still a big contributing factor, and we can expect to see electric cars continue their remarkable rise over the coming years.
Do electric cars have a place in executive travel and chauffeuring?
It's not only the general public that are likely to adopt electric cars. It's very possible that executive travel companies including chauffeuring services will also embrace this change as it becomes more accessible to them and their customers. Using an executive travel service has many benefits, such as added comfort, travelling in safety and style, giving you professional drivers who know the roads, and of course all of the wonderful gadgets that these luxury vehicles provide! But currently, an environmentally friendly travel service doesn't feature high on the list of benefit.
If you use an executive car hire service that is going green, you're probably aware of your own carbon footprint. There have been plenty of scandals over the last year or so with MPs misusing public taxes to be driven around in chauffeur driven cars, but an electric car chauffeur service will make those in the public eye appear more respectable and environment conscious. As with any new and innovative piece of technology, it will take time for electric cars to become more mainstream, both in the public and corporate world, but it's not a question of if anymore, just when.