Current EV Race Is Like Car Makers Of The 1920s

We have seen a race like this before in history. The race began well over 100 years ago and we are now experiencing it again on a whole different level.

I would bet that anyone reading this article did not live in their prime during the 1920s in the United States. In that era, over 1900 car companies were formed, all competing for the consumer's attention.

While we do not have 1900 different car companies worldwide today, we see a massive spike in EV startup companies competing again for the same space. It is almost as if history is repeating itself.

Why Is This Pertinent?
History shows us many things that can happen. Some say those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. My caution to all of these EV startup companies is simply that.

With the mass amount of mining needed to produce the material for batteries and the raw materials (steel, aluminum, rubber, etc.), we could be looking at a different crisis.

Global Warming- Maybe
Global warming or no global warming is your own prerogative. How we ended up in this another topic. I highly doubt that most vehicle makers actually knew what they were getting into when combustion engines really took off.

Today, we see a similar issue with the number of materials getting mined for lithium-based batteries (solid-state included).

Conclusion
EVs are more than excellent; they are incredible feats of engineering and advanced technology, but so were internal combustion engines when they first came out. Yes, electric cars were quite popular in that period as well. Still, lack of technology and low cost of oil made ICE cars dominant much faster.

My hope with this article is that we seriously consider where we are heading in the EV world. I hope that the engineers and scientists spending mass quantities of their time developing EV tech have the mindset to help the world become cleaner. Cleaner in the air, the earth, and everything we do. I would not say that I am an environmentalist by any means. Still, I enjoy the world, and I think we all need to really try to think about the impacts of all these new EV companies.

That is all for today; remember, Today's Adventure is Tomorrow's Story. Have you seen the latest Toyota announcement?

Check out this wild new battery tech that Tesla has and why it will forever change the auto industry.

Also, watch Toyota suddenly bringing its BZ4X electric SUV concept to United States on Torque News Youtube channel and please subscribe us on Youtube and follow on Twitter for daily Toyota and EV news reports.

Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporter.