While this is by no means the only time of upheaval and change in automotive history, it certainly feels like we’re at the beginning of one of the biggest periods of change ever. And while there’s a lot to be excited about, like cleaner technology and huge power figures, a lot is also uncertain, and that can be scary.
To start, the United States has just surpassed what most technologists consider to be an inflection point in sales, now that more than five percent of new vehicles sales are electric. That means that the vehicles have gone mainstream, and that it isn’t just avant-garde early adopters who are buying EVs.
While that hardly spells the death of the internal combustion engine, especially as Toyota, Porsche, Ferrari and others fight to keep technologies other than electrification alive, it does mean that the industry is changing, and electric vehicles will become a reality for more and more road users.
Read: San Francisco Becomes First U.S. City Where Electrified Cars Make Up 50% Of Sales
And both sides of that could be considered scary, depending on your perspective. On the one hand, range anxiety has gripped a solid portion of new car buyers, and the technology may spell the end of cars that many people know and love. On the other, the reactionary fight against EVs may also lead to delayed action, and more coal-rolling sub-cultures that promote pollution.
But EVs have been around for a few years, and their novelty has worn off for a lot of people. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other changes percolating. As technology becomes a bigger focus for automakers, cars are becoming increasingly screen-clogged and tech-laden. That may mean the end of simple driving fun.
More alarmingly still, as autonomous technology matures, the realities of its application become clearer. Not only might that mean less driving for enthusiasts, it may also mean streets clogged with confused driverless vehicles, cities increasingly focused on automotive infrastructure at the expense of pedestrians and public transit, and roving cameras that record everything you do.
And those are only a couple of the negative outcomes that are possible. What do you think? What scares you most about the future of cars? Let us know in the comments below.
