Pump the Brakes: Is an Electric Vehicle in Your Future?

When I first traveled to Asia in the summer of 2019 to study clean technology, I viewed electric cars as a novelty item to own. I grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and no one I knew owned an electric vehicle. To be fair, why would they? With little to no charging infrastructure available along with steep, windy roads that would quickly drain a battery, it seemed like a silly (if not useless) investment to make. Besides, all I knew about electric vehicles at the time was that Tesla made them and therefore I saw the entire industry through a shroud of luxury thanks to the company’s careful branding tactics. I arrived in China with these assumptions in the back of my mind and quickly realized that outside of the U.S., the electric vehicle (EV) industry was advancing much faster than I could have imagined.

I took this photo at Aiways R&D Center in Shanghai, China, where designers showed us the light-weight base frame of an Aiways EV model.

One of the most memorable moments of the trip was visiting Aiways in Shanghai, China. According to the Aiways European website, Aiways is a start-up that was founded in 2017, with its R&D (research and design) center headquartered in Shanghai. At this R&D center, I was able to see an EV be built up from its frame, with a focus on not only aesthetic but also technological innovation. Beyond Aiways, seeing the amount of EVs on the roads throughout China was astounding. More average, less luxurious-looking EVs were a common sight on the roads, and there was market competition amongst several EV companies. In Shenzhen, China, we visited the city’s world-famous all-electric bus fleet. By 2019, EVs were entering China’s market through individual and public forms of transportation. I found myself thinking, why isn’t this happening back at home?

I took this photo of a completed EV model at the Aiways R&D Center, showing aesthetic considerations for the exterior of the car.

The answer isn’t quite so simple. China and the U.S. have very different characteristics across industry, government, and society. America is individualistic, and the government has less influence over industry sectors. China has a collectivist culture, and the government has more power over industry and shaping people’s choices. Because of these societal and cultural factors, China was able to quickly switch gears as a nation and begin incentivizing, manufacturing, and distributing EVs and EV infrastructure to its population.

This is all to say: The U.S. isn’t as sold on the idea of electric cars. Americans are accustomed to driving whenever and wherever they wish, and this independence is valued deeply. The U.S. doesn’t have the charging infrastructure to support long-distance travel in EV’s yet, which is a central barrier for many consumers. Even if these problems were to be magically fixed tomorrow, EVs are still expensive and largely unattainable for working-class families. The Biden Administration has recently set out to address these issues through the Biden-Harris Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan, which plans to create an “equitable network of 500,000 chargers” across America. Though this is admirable, it must be paired with incentives that reduce the burden of buying an expensive EV.

Will we be seeing U.S. roads teeming with EV’s in the next 5-10 years? In my opinion, no. Nevertheless, familiar brands are inching towards introducing more electric vehicles into the U.S. market, from Ford F-150 all-electric trucks to Chevy Bolts. As these companies and many more begin entering the U.S. EV market, they will undoubtedly adapt to American consumers’ expectations and needs. While I wait for these dominos to fall, I’ll be driving my Toyota Camry until it falls apart. My bank account and I can reassess going electric when that day comes, but if all goes to plan, I’ve got at least another decade to go. Hopefully.

P.S. Are electric cars even good for the environment? Yes, no, and maybe so. We can get into that next week. Thanks for reading.