Affordable mobility for all: why we need smaller, cheaper electric vehicles
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Each small vehicle that is electrified in China could save around one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions per year.Credit: Daniel Gerard/Alamy
When it comes to decarbonizing transport, the world is fixated on electric cars and buses. But such large, sophisticated vehicles are expensive and resource-hungry. Most people globally cannot afford an electric car, which typically costs tens of thousands of dollars. And surging demand for the ‘critical minerals’ needed to make these machines is raising geopolitical tensions and triggering trade wars even before electric vehicles (EVs) fill our streets.
Yet, beneath this narrative, a quieter revolution has been unfolding — the proliferation of low-speed EVs. Such vehicles, which are more versatile than an electric bike but simpler than a conventional electric car, include small, battery-powered four-wheeled cars, golf buggies and tricycles.
Battery prices are falling, so why are electric cars still so expensive?