A futurist from Perth, Australia named Ray Wills has predicted that by 2023, all-electric vehicles the likes of Tesla Model 3 and Nissan Leaf will reach price parity with petrol cars. He also noted that EVs would be a lot more common by 2026 that it will render many gas stations obsolete.
Wills, a board member of Horizon Power, a remote energy services provider; and the managing director of advisory firm Future Smart Strategies, claimed that the future of the automobile is imminent, and it's coming faster than what many of us expect. In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Wills shared his thoughts.
"The future is coming faster than we think. And when it arrives, we always say it was faster than we thought."
Wills continued to ponder on this thought, explaining that all-electric cars have disrupted the popularity once enjoyed by hybrids, which rose to fame in the early 2000s. Green cars reached the height of popularity back then, as seen on the Toyota Prius, which has become obsolete in recent years and replaced by the power offered by the Tesla Model 3 and other electric cars as of late.
According to the futurist, what rules the day is the thing that has the momentum, and that not one person can exactly be right. As a futurist, however, Wills argued that his role is to be the least wrong when he sees a disrupted market.
Another thing that made electric vehicles more mainstream in this age and time is the willingness of huge automobile companies to invest in this type of technology. For example, Volkswagen recently announced that it is allotting a whopping $40 billion for electric vehicles. Toyota, which had long been dedicated to creating hybrid vehicles, announced that it is building a development initiative for EVs in Indonesia.
The emergence of electric-powered cars has become so significant, that by 2026, electrification will likely be complete, Wills has claimed.
"Electrification, as I see it, will be virtually complete by 2026, the only cars built in my opinion will be electric, with the exception of some specialist bespoke vehicles," Wills predicted.
It is an ambitious thought, but Wills predictions have somewhat manifested, as seen on the auto markets in Europe and China, regions in which electric cars are becoming common. These are the regions that make up for the largest EV markets today and already, there are plans to ban cars powered by diesel in their major cities, likely to transpire in a few years' time.
