Die is cast. The recent ratification by the EU of a decision to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles after 2035 not only sets a strict timetable for the transition to a new climate-neutral regime, but also a roadmap for complete transformation. multidimensional and complex ecosystem. Even manufacturers who did not believe and therefore did not invest in the “chariot” of electrification are now forced to follow the trend of the times.

Hard to find raw materials

The mass production of electric vehicles confirmed the forecasts of declining costs and prices. This, of course, does not mean that electric vehicles became affordable overnight. Yes, the gap between conventional four-wheelers has narrowed, but there is still a long way to go before complete equality.

Expensive lithium and rare earths are two major drivers of persistently high prices for electric vehicles. In fact, there is an open concern that the available amounts of lithium are not enough to “feed” the green wave of electrification. Some car manufacturers are already looking for a way to get rid of hard-to-find raw materials, which will mean not only a significant reduction in the cost of batteries, but also a further reduction in their environmental impact.

Over the past decade, progress in energy storage has been significant, but not enough for electric vehicles to become the norm. This is expected to happen with solid state batteries, which should solve all the problems that electric models face. Solid-state batteries will have all the features that current batteries lack: smaller size and weight, more than twice the charging speed, higher energy density, and up to 50% lower cost.

It is clear that the automaker that has been able to be the first to implement solid-state battery technology in its models will have a significant advantage. This is expected to happen no earlier than the end of the decade, with some exceptions for manufacturers that have moved closer to the not-so-distant 2028.

More or stronger charging points?

By the end of the decade, the infrastructure is expected to develop and there will be more charging points. The power or, if you prefer, the charging speed will also receive a bold increase, which will allow, with a short stop, the autonomy of several hundred kilometers to be restored. Powerful public chargers will complete the transition to a new, electric mode, putting an end to the famous “range anxiety”, that is, the anxiety that the end autonomy of an electric car causes in the driver.