Electric Vehicles: The Death of Car Culture?!
Are they really the death of car culture?
Now, that title seems very dramatic, no? Well it’s supposed to so hopefully it does! However, it seems like a silly statement or question, doesn’t it? Well if you’re into car culture at all, you might not think it’s that far fetched of an idea. Which is ridiculous, what is the issue with Electric Vehicles (EVs) versus the normal Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars? Is it the idea that “only toy cars and golf carts run on batteries?” Why do so many people have an issue with these new cars and technology? Well let’s try to figure that out or at least look at a few things or reasons why they might have such a huge issue with them.
2024 Dodge Charger R/T Daytona EV
Credit: The Weekly Bugle
The History of Evs and ICE Cars
For years, most, if not all cars have run on gasoline, diesel or some kind of fuel and powered by an ICE. The roar of V6 up to V12 and above engines are iconic in movies, television or even just real life as they zip down the road. That feeling they can give you as they shake and rumble with immense power inside them. Then the engineering that goes into making these engines all run and work smoothly for miles upon miles is something to marvel at! The bodywork and craftsmanship that goes into making the exteriors and interiors is amazing with how far we’ve come. Henry Ford with his invention of the assembly line, revolutionized the industrial complex of the world. Cars have always been at the forefront of modern technology and engineering just by existing, so again… what’s the problem with EVs?
The Problems…maybe?
Is all we care about with cars the sound of the engine and waking up the entire neighborhood due to how loud and powerful your car is or because you have a broken muffler? Maybe not all of us, but a loud majority seems to within the community. They make fun off these cars for being quiet… or then make fun of these cars for making “fake” sounds, like the new Dodge Charger EV does with its “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust.” Which it may sound funny adding noise to a car but since so many people within the car community seems to be hung up on how something sounds, you can’t blame them for trying. Plus, adding sound can be a safety feature because if a car is too quiet, how can someone tell if its coming around a blind corner?
Ok, so maybe it’s not sound, maybe it is… maybe it’s the engine or power source then. Something can be satisfying of building your own ICE or working on it and improving it with new parts, where, currently at least, most EVs kind of take that away for the most part. Plus, most people have knowledge on how an ICE works, not an EV motor, so learning something new can be hard or time consuming. However, that’s not an excuse to have complete disdain towards something, is it? Plus, running on electricity versus gasoline is actually a lot greener for the…
Environment. Climate Change. Global Warming. Whatever you want to call it… is unfortunately political whether or not how much or how many facts or science we have to prove it is happening. So do so many people reject and hate these new type of vehicles just because of where their politics align? I don’t think I have to answer that question for most of you. Also, mandating more EVs be made is a great thing that will help the environment plus help us compete on the global market but forcing someone to do something, or lets be real here, them perceiving you are forcing them to do something they might not want, will hardly ever make people want to do something. Plus, most of the world runs on oil money, so anything that is against that, is against the interests of so many people in positions of power.
POWER! Maybe it’s because EVs aren’t as fast or as powerful as ICE and that’s why, oh wait… a lot of them have more power, torque and faster acceleration than a lot of ICE cars or at least on par with them? So it can’t be that… right? In the past, yeah, hybrids like the Toyota Prius wasn’t going to be winning any drag races but now we have EV Hypercars that can go to 0-60mph in 1.9s like the Xing Mobility Miss R or 0-100mph in 4.2s with a top speed of over 250mph like the Tesla Roadster at least says it will do. However, most everyday consumer or user of cars don’t need those insane numbers. Some cars are just meant to get to point A to point B safely.
SAFETY!! Is it because EV’s are combustible death traps waiting to set on fire and burn for centuries? Where it is true, the batteries used, if damaged, could potential be fire risks or a safety concern… but is it really that common of a problem? ICE cars can catch fire, explode, blow up engines, etc. too if not properly made or maintained. If things are just designed correctly, these things shouldn’t be issues unless in accidents or faulty products. Speaking of design though…
Is it the designs of these cars? Most EVs do take a very radical and futuristic approach to their designs. You can almost always tell just by looking at a car that it’s an EV, which isn’t a necessarily good or bad thing. However, art is subjective and everyone has their own style and tastes. So maybe most EVs are just so new and different looking that people just don’t like that, which can you blame them for that? However, I don’t think that is an excuse enough for how some people tend to view and look at EVs.
The future is here and ever changing
I’ve owned an EV now for a few months, specifically the new 2024 Dodge Charger R/T Daytona EV. I have never seen so many people so split on opinions on a car. Almost daily, I have people walking by it in awe or excitedly asking me about it but at the same rate, I have people on the highways driving next to me giving me a thumbs down or shaking their heads. I’ve always been interested in EVs but a few years ago decided to go test drive a Mustang Mach E just to see if I actually would like one… and let me tell you, it was life changing in a way. If you have never driven one, I encourage you to try one out! Even though I’ve had some issues with my car, which may have just been a few faulty things specifically on my car, we’ll have to wait and see if its actually a manufacturing issue with all Chargers but, I’ve loved every second of owning this car. However, this essentially was my dream car I always wanted made, so there is definitely some biased built in there.
Maybe EVs aren’t the safest or best way for the future of automobiles. However, it is currently the best technology and way we know how. This could just be like when the horse and buggy was being replaced with cars, some people just are stuck in their ways and don’t like or want change. No matter what we do though, we are in an ever evolving world that will continue to change no matter how hard you wish or want it not to. That’s the nature of life and the world we live in. Maybe one day, we’ll have flying cars that are powered on water, maybe one day we’ll realize cat powered cars are actually the answer. Who knows, the future is ever changing, we’ll just have to wait and find out. Thank you for reading.
