The Future of Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) have become a vital tool in the fight against climate change in recent years. The shift from traditional gasoline-powered cars to electric models is seen as an important step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the environmental impact of road transportation. This transition is crucial since gasoline-powered vehicles account for a significant portion of global carbon dioxide emissions. However, as this transformation accelerates, we are faced with a problem that is often overlooked: society's obsession with large and powerful cars, particularly the increasingly popular electric SUVs. While electric vehicles are undoubtedly a step in the right direction, we must reconsider our mobility strategy, paying attention not only to electrification but also to the size and efficiency of vehicles.

Sales of electric SUVs are rapidly increasing, accounting for more than 35% of all electric passenger car sales worldwide. At first glance, this may seem like good news since electric vehicles are generally cleaner than gasoline-powered ones. However, the situation becomes complicated. Traditional SUVs consume more energy and resources than smaller cars, which leads to a decrease in vehicle energy efficiency. Similarly, while electric SUVs are more efficient than gasoline-powered vehicles, they consume far more resources compared to smaller electric models.

The demand for large electric vehicles increases the need for metals such as cobalt and lithium, which are used in their production. In addition to the scarcity of these materials, their extraction and processing cause significant environmental damage. The more material, especially batteries, a vehicle requires, the greater the likelihood of depleting these vital resources.

Moreover, large vehicles, regardless of whether they are electric or not, consume more energy. This means that while transitioning to electric vehicles reduces exhaust emissions, the environmental benefits may be diminished due to the greater energy required to move larger vehicles. To truly achieve our climate goals, we must question whether bigger electric vehicles are always better.

Consumers tend to prefer larger electric vehicles because they fear running out of battery power—a concern known as "range anxiety." Car manufacturers have exploited this fear by offering electric SUVs with larger battery packs and promises of longer range. However, this approach is opportunistic. As battery size increases, the vehicle becomes heavier, requiring more energy to move.

Range anxiety may be a real concern, but it should not drive all potential electric vehicle buyers toward resource-intensive, unsustainable solutions. Instead, we should focus on improving the efficiency of smaller electric vehicles. These vehicles can meet the needs of most drivers, require fewer resources, and are more energy-efficient. With advances in battery technology, it's already possible to achieve significant ranges with smaller, more efficient batteries. By promoting the use of smaller electric vehicles, we can reduce the environmental impact of electric vehicle production and lower the demand for raw materials.

The transition to electric vehicles should be seen as part of a broader evaluation of our transportation strategy. The idea that "bigger is better" has driven car culture for decades, with SUVs and truck-like vehicles becoming symbols of safety, power, and status. However, the reality of resource scarcity and climate change increasingly contradicts this mindset. To truly develop a sustainable transportation system, we must reject this notion and shift toward smaller, high-performance vehicles.

It should be remembered that car-based transportation is not the most energy-efficient mode of transport. Especially in cities with accessible public transportation systems like buses, trains, and trams, cars are often seen as a luxury that increases traffic congestion, emits greenhouse gases, and wastes energy. Electric vehicles should be part of a broader plan focused on reducing personal car use and encouraging the adoption of more environmentally friendly transportation options.

Governments can make a significant difference in encouraging people to purchase smaller, more energy-efficient electric vehicles. For example, taxation systems based on the size or weight of the vehicle, or increasing taxes according to the vehicle's power and weight, can encourage the preference for more compact, energy-efficient cars. Countries like Sweden and France have already explored such laws, and cities like New York are considering implementing these rules.

The incentives offered for electric vehicles should be revised to support smaller models. Currently, many electric vehicle incentives are the same for both large and small vehicles, so purchasing a large e-SUV or a small electric vehicle can provide the same financial support.

While electric vehicles play an important role in combating climate change, the current trend towards large electric vehicles poses a risk of undermining the fundamental goals of electrification. To make a true difference, we must rethink our approach to transportation and prioritize not only electrification but also vehicle efficiency and size.

As all vehicle users, we must always remember an important point: our preferences regarding vehicles consist more of thoughts implanted in our subconscious by the decades-long advertising of the automobile and oil industries, rather than decisions we have arrived at after careful consideration. The basis of these thoughts is not the well-being of us or society, but rather their desire to make more money. When we look at our preferences for electric vehicles today, both in a general sense of mobility and in a specific context, we see that these preferences are shaped more by the options imposed on us by the industry than by our actual needs.

At its simplest point, why isn’t this solution offered to users? Your vehicle normally should have a range of about 200 kilometers, but when going on a long trip, you could rent two spare batteries and extend this range to 600 kilometers. The slots for those two spare batteries should always be ready to be used. Such a solution is much smarter in every context related to sustainability and circularity. If you want to know why this solution isn’t offered, try asking the vehicle manufacturers.

Based on the same interchangeable batteries, why should you have to recharge your vehicle on the road? You could go to a charging station, remove the drained battery, take a fully recharged one, and continue on your way. The charging station would then recharge all the drained batteries that come in throughout the day, so no one would have to wait for a battery to recharge. Ask yourself, “Why aren’t these systems produced this way?” The answer is definitely not technical.

Let’s ask one more question: “Most of us use cars within the city, typically over distances shorter than 100 kilometers a day and with an average of 1.5 people in the car, so why are cars getting larger day by day?” Who benefits the most from the fact that vehicles, regardless of whether they are gasoline or electric, are getting even bigger? Can you think of anyone other than oil companies?

We know that in the past, oil companies bought and shut down public transportation companies serving major cities in the U.S. to maintain people’s dependence on cars. Today, you can’t even imagine how much they influence all our mobility needs with their vast financial resources. Most of what we call our "preferences" are actually not our choices but things that are "forced upon" us. If the Prime Minister of the Netherlands rides a bike to work while getting us to use gasoline, shouldn’t we feel a little suspicious rather than envious? They have a company called Shell while they ride bicycles, and the developing countries use the latest model SUVs while paying in foreign currency to buy gasoline from them.

In conclusion, smaller and more efficient electric vehicles are the future of sustainable transportation. However, this is just the beginning. We need to address other issues that drive us to use cars as well. For example, why do we use so many cars when car usage in New York City, which has a population similar to Istanbul's, is only one-tenth that of Istanbul? When we start to provide the right answers to these questions, we will have already covered a significant part of the path related to sustainability. For now, we are not yet at that point.