When Will Electric Cars Take Over The Streets?

The announcement that Volvo will concentrate exclusively on hybrid and electric cars has gotten a lot of people’s attention. But are gas-guzzlers really over?

By Alain StephensJuly 6, 2017 7:46 pm, ,

The announcement that Volvo will release only hybrid or electric cars beginning in 2019 was seen by many as a bold move.

Left to its own devices, Detroit-based carmakers might be just fine keeping the internal-combustion engine at the center of their plans for as long as possible. But potential competitors from the tech world may not let them.

Digital savant Omar Gallaga of the Austin American-Statesman’s 512 Tech says Volvo isn’t the only company announcing progress on cars with non-traditional power sources. The long-anticipated Tesla Model 3 will become available on July 28, with production set to ramp up to 20,000 a month by the December.

A Tesla Model 3 will set you back a minimum of $35,000, minus a federal tac credit of $7,500. If you want one, you’ll have to pick it up out-of-state.

“Tesla cannot sell vehicles directly to customers in Texas,” Gallaga says. “They’ve tried three times to get that through the Legislature [and] this year failed again to do that.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How quickly electric vehicles are expected to surpass gas-powered cars in the market

–  What traditional automakers and tech companies are doing to compete in the car market

– What challenges buyers of electric vehicles face

 

Written by Shelly Brisbin.