As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information

Imagine with me for a moment that the car market is at the start of a major transition. Why would I think that? Well…

ü  Electric cars deliver full torque from a standstill so they have impressive acceleration. They are fun to drive!

ü  Electric cars are quiet, there is no combustion, no muffler.

ü  Electric cars do not use explosive fuel, there is no gas tank.

ü  Electric cars are cheaper to operate, electricity being cheaper than gasoline.

ü  Electric cars are also cheaper to maintain than combustion systems. Having far fewer parts makes the car less complex, easier and cheaper to maintain – there’s no ignition, exhaust, timing or cooling systems.

ü  Electric cars can be plugged in at home and you wake up with a fully charged battery every day.

ü  No more getting ‘hosed’ at the gas station, not even the day before a long weekend when combustion engine car owners are lining up.

ü  Road trips have currently been extended to over 400 km on a single charge.

ü  A network of charging stations is being built.

ü  Tesla’s car battery can be guaranteed for a full eight years. Other manufacturers will follow this achievement.

ü  Old batteries can and will be recycled. Current technology saves a minimum of 70 percent on CO2 emissions involved in creating lithium-ion batteries from scratch.

ü  Zero tail pipe emissions.

I think that by 2020 battery-powered cars will become a no-brainer purchase for many of us.

The most recognized name in electric cars at the moment is Tesla Motors whose goal is to ship 500,000 cars in 2020. To reach that goal would require the entire battery industry to more than double production. That’s just Tesla - never mind other existing players and new entrants into the electric car market.

If ten percent of all cars on the road were to become battery-powered global battery production would require an astounding 20-fold increase.