Do androids dream of Electric Cars?

In May Audi reported that they are due to release their first full-electric car, the R8 E-tron. At the moment, the electric car industry is slow, with high prices and questions over the cars’ battery and charging facilities. However,Audi is well known for high performance high quality vehicles, so we wonder whether this development will be a watershed for the electric car industry as they begin to cross the line from fuel to fuel-cell. Audi are certainly tackling the issue of performance head on with the R8 model, with a 150 mile range and 0-60 of 4.8secs.  We expect this performance will come at a premium.

Norman Environmental understand how important our cars are to us in modern society, they give us independence and freedom to go about our lives locally, nationally and even onto the continent.  As a result rising fuel prices are an issue we are all struggling with, alongside the obvious carbon problem. Therefore we ask the question, is the now the time to start thinking about going electric or hybrid as a viable alternative to petrol and diesel?  The Nissan Leaf has shown that a family sized car for 'about town' use is feasible, if a little pricey.

There are many other concerns with the electric car, the primary perceived problem being a general lack of charging stations. It is true that charging points are sparse throughout the UK and the public are anxious that if they invest in an electric car, recharging their battery will be an obstacle. Although there are hopes for charging stations to increase, as electric car-charging firm ‘Chargemaster’ insist that by the end of 2012 there will be 4,000 points across Britain. This asserts to us that there is a future for electric cars.

Demand wil be driven by price of fuel and the strengthening movement to reduce carbon so it’s a race to market, but will other manufacturers be able to catch up with the likes of Toyota, Nissan and now Audi?

We at Norman Environmental view electric cars as the future of private transport and are excited to view Audi’s electric effort as a beacon of hope for the future. We hope to invest in an electric or hybrid vehicle for our company soon, perhaps Audi will provide the answer.

We hope you feel as passionately about the environment as we do at Norman Environmental and if you are looking at ways you can reduce your carbon footprint in your home, please do not hesitate to contact us.