The pressure on companies to reduce their carbon footprint is stronger than ever. The Green movement has been gathering pace for many years, but the emergence of Coronavirus has brought things more into focus than anyone could have possibly imagined. Decreased use of cars and planes through lockdown has resulted in cleaner air, quieter skies and brighter oceans – a fact not missed by the public at large.
It seems the message is finally hitting home that the world needs to adapt in order to survive. Consequently, the hunger for alternative, greener forms of transport has never been greater.
Here are just a few ways battery-power is about to transform the world of transportation.
Electric cars
Probably the most obvious and significant progress in electric transportation has been with electric cars. Companies like Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors have gone from relative obscurity to becoming household names in a relatively short space of time.
The move toward electric cars has been significant. While once the more established car companies were slow to move to battery power, almost all now offer fully electric or electric-hybrid models in their ranges.
With governments around the world pursuing greener credentials and committing to a zero-omission future, the move to electric vehicles will only continue. It’s easy to envisage a time in the very near future where traditional gas vehicles disappear completely.
Likewise, public transport is also undergoing a battery revolution – whether that be in the form of tram systems or fully-electric buses. The shift to alternative sources of power has begun, and electric-powered vehicles are very much here to stay.
Personal transportation
The battery-powered revolution isn’t just reserved to larger vehicles. Recently, a huge range of personal transportation devices have come on the market, including electric e-bikes, scooters, skateboards, and hoverboards. While Marty McFly’s flying skateboard isn’t available quite yet, these futuristic vehicles are available today and have put the electric revolution firmly in the price bracket of the majority of consumers.
Due to their relatively small form, battery strength is probably the biggest consideration when buying personal transport vehicles. Websites like Electric Ride Lab are invaluable in offering comprehensive reviews and deciphering the benefits of the new technologies available.
Electric hyperloop trains
Hyperloop trains operate in low-pressure transit tubes to reduce friction. They accelerate by electric propulsion then retain their speed running with incredibly low aerodynamic drag – due mainly to effectively traveling on a cushion of air rather than on traditional wheels and rails. The trains are expected to travel at speeds up to 700mph, capable of completing a journey between Los Angeles and San Francisco in just 30 minutes. The technology is being pioneered by business heavyweights Elon Musk and Richard Branson, a sign just how seriously the industry is taking the technology.
Electric aviation
Companies like Airbus have been actively pursuing zero-omission planes for many years, and yet, for some reason, the technology hasn’t hit the headlines in the same way as electric cars or trains. Nonetheless, progress has been swift, and the world’s first fully-electric plane flew for 15 minutes last December: granted, not the longest journey by any means, but significant when you consider where the technology was just a few years ago.
With half of all current commercial flights being over a range of just 1000km (620km), the switch to fully electric flights would massively slash air travel emissions. There are currently 170 electric aircraft projects in development around the world.
There is little doubt the move to a greener future is here to stay, and electric vehicles will soon transform the way we think about all forms of travel – be that in the air, on the road, or just the short commute to work. From rechargeable planes to E-bikes, the future of travel is most definitely electric.
1 comment
nice article