How Viable is Electric Car in Bhutan?
Note: Before I write about this given topic, I would
like to say that it is not my intention to make a contrasting opinion to any of
the person or figures - political, commercial or economical, as a matter of
fact. It is purely a personal interest for the topic and the information
provided are based on my own personal research (articles, books, papers, etc.).
Also, if you find incorrect information or any kind of mistakes please leave
your suggestions under the comments section below.
With increasing number
of cities and countries adopting new Electric Vehicles (EVs) and hybrids,
it is not uncommon for Bhutan to follow the same path. The conventional gasoline
vehicles emit tonnes of pollution into the atmosphere, increasing
global warming, and causing damage to the environment far more than we can
imagine. So it makes perfect sense to adopt electric vehicles in our country as
it is clean and efficient. EVs have minimum impact to both people and
environment. However, electric vehicles have some major technological
drawbacks:
1. Charging points
It is not an easy task
to install electric car charging stations in many parts of the rural areas in
Bhutan. Many of the developed countries still suffer from major lack of enough
charging stations, which makes difficult for consumers to adopt EVs. Bhutan
will need huge capital and resources, if it plans to make EVs viable.
2. Time spent in
charging
This is another big
hurdle for both consumers and manufacturers as EVs take longer time to
charge their batteries than its counterpart. Most EVs on the market will need to
be plugged in overnight to fully charge.
Let's take a few
real-world examples:
The Nissan LEAF uses lithium-ion batteries, just like your laptop and your cell phone, but it uses a lot more of them. It can charge overnight (8 hours) at a 220/240-volt Nissan charging dock that's installed in your garage. It can also charge at a 110/120-volt outlet, the kind you plug your laptop and cell phone into, but it'll take far, far longer.
The sexy Tesla Roadster uses lithium-ion batteries, too, but the 240-volt Tesla High Power Wall Connector, as they call it, can charge that baby in a mere 3.5 hours. But before you open your wallet, you should know that this is also one of the most expensive EVs on the road.
A little neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV), like the cars from GEM (Global Electric Motorcars), uses lead-acid batteries . This technology is older, proven to be reliable and charges in about 6 to 8 hours at a standard 110-volt outlet. So what's the tradeoff? A maximum speed of just 25 miles per hour (40.2 kilometers per hour).
Also, consumers fear
that their vehicles might get stranded if they run out of battery.
3. Environmental impact
One recent study by
scientists in EV-friendly Norway has found that in some circumstances electric
cars can have a greater impact on global warming than conventional
cars. One of the findings is that the energy intensive manufacturing of
EVs means that some cars make almost double the impact on global warming as
conventional cars. This is mostly because of the raw materials and energy
needed to build the lithium-ion batteries.
If Bhutan wants to adopt EVs, it should consider
all the factors stated above and beyond. I cannot really say for certain when
Bhutanese will be ready to adopt EVs on large scale, but I sincerely hope it
changes. Personally, I think it is a wonderful initiative taken by the current
government and laying foundation for green vehicles may be a small step but in
long run it may turn out to be fruitful.
Like my father would say: "It is never too early or too late to start anything."
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