Giving thanks and a fond farewell

Since print and online media will be filled with accounts of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, why not join the fray here in the Torque News electric vehicles column?

This Thanksgiving, as trite as it may sound, I am thankful for all of the automakers represented in the image above because of their commitment to bringing electric vehicles into the mainstream.

I am thankful that BMW has devoted a huge amount of resources to create the groundbreaking i line of advanced electric vehicles, at great risk to the company. I am grateful for Nissan’s drive to be the world leader in zero-emission mobility, an initiative spearheaded by the Nissan LEAF. It gladdens me that GM remains committed to making the Volt the best plug-in hybrid on the planet.

The efforts of these established and influential automakers have meant a great deal to the nascent EV industry, proving that electric vehicles are here to stay this time. Other big names in the auto industry are waiting in the wings for battery technology to improve, but these EV pioneers are holding down the fort and driving the spread of public charging infrastructure and positive public opinion until that happy day arrives.

Tesla Motors, however, has arguably had more influence of the cause of electric vehicles than these three major automakers combined. Tesla has proven to the rest of the auto industry that with a clean sheet design, an electric car can achieve range comparable to gasoline cars with nearly unrivaled performance. The Palo Alto upstart has forced rival automakers to sit up and take notice, and is inviting (no, challenging) fellow EV makers to share its Supercharger network, which makes cross-country travel possible in Tesla’s Model S.

It’s been a pleasure

This is my last column here at Torque News, as I will soon be starting my engineering career in the auto industry. It has been a great pleasure covering the electric vehicle sector and bringing my interpretations of EV news to the internet, and I especially want to thank my regular readers for continually coming back to hear what I have to say.

I hope that my writing has influenced the perception of electric vehicles. Even though many readers that peruse EV news articles are already inclined to have a favorable view of this fantastic technology, if my words changed even one person’s mind about electric cars I consider my tenure here to have been a success.

If any of my readers are interested in taking my place as an electric vehicle reporter for Torque News, please contact us through the site. The EV industry deserves all the positive publicity it can get.

Farewell, and long live the electric car!