Whether you're a fan of electric cars or not, the fact is they're here to stay. According to current government legislation, by 2030, the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles will cease, kicking off a chain reaction that could end in a semi-utopian, fossil fuel-free existence.
Car manufacturers have reacted, with almost every major brand releasing some kind of electric car. Results vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the yardstick at the moment is roughly around 250 miles of range, for a mid-sized car.
I've had the pleasure of personally using a few EV's before, and, for what its worth, I'm a fan. Ultimately, if you were to drive a modern, automatic fossil fuelled car, the driving experience isn't going to be massively different. And, while range anxiety can be an issue for some, a modicum of forward-planning should be enough to offset that.
It is a field that is constantly evolving, too. Having read about Volvo's getting a range and charging upgrade, a thought occurred. Is the future of EV's going to involve upgrades like you get on your phone?
The premise seems bonkers, and yet entirely plausible. For example, if you were to purchase a new Samsung Galaxy S23 once it gets released in a few weeks time, you'd buy it based on the features it had at the time. You'd buy it knowing that you were committing to the hardware on offer. But you'd also have a reasonable expectation of software updates for a period of time after your purchase, such is the standard for the industry.
Cars – particularly modern ones, with such an emphasis on computerised components – were always going to need software upgrades, but the thought had never crossed my mind that things like range and charging speed could be improved upon after the fact.
It's unclear what this will mean for the future of EV technology. Industry trends will ultimately shape how long updates are promised for, but the prospect of a car with an evolving spec sheet suddenly just got a lot more real.
