Realistically, how long do you think it will be before literally every car on the road is electric? As in a world where diesel and petrol cars are completely outdated and redundant, standard petrol stations have pretty much disappeared from existence and every car owner has the option of recharging their car from an electrical socket, conveniently positioned at their own home – how long will it be? 
It’s definitely a realistic long-term prospect, but could this really be the reality of things in no more than 15 years?
According to one of the world’s most successful and respected entrepreneurs…yes – it very well could be!
Just Ask Virgin Boss Branson!
Recently, Virgin founder and boss Richard Branson was asked to share his thoughts on whether or not he could see a time when Formula One racing would be replaced entirely by Formula E – as in the same kind of thing, only with battery-powered vehicles. Not only did he state that he can definitely see this happening, but he also took things several steps further to predict that things will change quite radically by the year 2040.
“I think it is going in the right direction,” he said.
“It’s pushing the boundaries forward into what will be the future. 15 years from now every car on the road will be electric.”
Now, first of all it is important to note that while optimism is one thing, it’s a good idea to remain realistic. In this instance, we can only assume that Mr. Branson actually meant that every new car on the road within 15 years will be electric. The reason being that while it’s perfectly plausible that the vast majority of vehicle manufacturers will have switched to electric vehicles by then, it’s unlikely that each and every standard fuel-driven car will have been removed from public roads.
A Gradual Change
The simple fact of the matter is that even if almost every vehicle produced as of the year 2040 is fully electric, this still may mean that the industry will be churning out millions of conventional powered vehicles right up until 2039. Which in turn means that it is highly unlikely – impossible in fact – that these vehicles will then immediately be taken off the roads.
Chances are that just as things are going right now, it will most likely be something of a gradual change that is controlled entirely by consumer interest. At the moment, electric vehicles do not represent the most appealing prospect for the majority of car buyers, simply because there are not enough charging points set up both at home and abroad. Nevertheless, when the necessary infrastructure is in place and the costs of buying electric vehicles comes down sufficiently, it’s largely guaranteed that electric vehicle sales will slowly but surely overtake those of conventional vehicles.
And when they do, more charging stations and so on will pop up – thus creating a self-perpetuating cycle moving the world away from conventional vehicles fuels.
It’s just that all of this definitely isn’t going to happen within the next 15 years – even if Richard Branson says it is!
