The Triumph of Electric Cars
13 July, 2023
Do Wuling Families still remember the chemistry and biology lessons back at the school? At that time, we used to learn about renewable and non-renewable natural resources. Petroleum derived from ancient fossils is one that cannot be renewable for it takes millions of years to convert the fossil into petroleum and then to be processed into fuel that we know better under the name of gasoline.
So, what is currently being developed by scientists and the world’s car producers to overcome and avoid dependence on petroleum? Some of them are the development of solar power, wind power, and also electric power. Particularly for cars, the development on electric-powered has begun, even hybrids (a combination of gasoline and electric as power supplies).
As a matter of fact, the presence of electric cars was not only developed as of yesterday. Its existence was first made a reality by Robert Davidson, a chemist who tried to make his electric car in 1837. P1 is an electric car brand under Porche, firstly introduced in 1898.
However, several factors such as price and speed, as well as the limitation of its life span on battery power, and also the start of an era when the abundance of fuel availability have caused the growth of electric cars to halt for almost 200 years later.
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Now, there are more car manufacturers who are turning their heads to the benefits of electricity for four-wheeled vehicles. Environmental issues are a major factor in the development of this technology. The advantage of using electric cars is the reduction in air pollution caused by the carbon monoxide produced from the burning of fuel. This technology also briefly developed by General Motors, one of the technologies behind the manufacturing of Wuling.
Their revolutionary electric car was developed between 1996 up to when it finally had to end in 2001 because of the high cost of production. Dubbed EV1, the car was very high-end for electric cars in its time because it could accelerate from 0 to 80 km per hour in just 7 seconds! But unfortunately, now the car can only be seen at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Moving into 2018, now many car manufacturers are developing their own electric cars; namely Toyota with its Prius, Nissan Leaf, Honda, Chevrolet, BMW, even the trendiest start-up company Tesla Motors. Tesla developed its electric car in 2006, with US $ 465 million in government funding assistance for research and development costs.
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Wuling Motors has also been marketing their electric cars in China, branded Baojun E100 since July, 2017. When launched, there were 5,000 people who signed up for the first 200 productions. The advantage of this series is its ability to travel 155 km with just one battery charge (charging for 7,5 hours). Wuling Families, who may also be eager to ride and have an electric car, seem to have to be patient.
Because the main obstacle is not in the car technology, but in the infrastructure; such as car battery charging stations that must be available in many locations just like how gas stations are. Not to mention the tax affairs that may be much more expensive compared to cars using gasoline. Let’s play a guessing game; when would Wuling introduce their E100 electric car to the Wuling Families in Indonesia? Just wait for it.
