Are we really reaching a point of transition where other fuel options, more specifically Electric Vehicles (EVs), will take over the automotive world? This is my concern, while reading Grassroots Motorsports, I encountered a couple of points that got me thinking. One of them is the Electrifying of Miatas. According to Grassroots, Mazda’s goal is to reach 25% of EV ratio by 2030. “Mazda confirmed that the next-gen Miata will be electrified in some way-be it a full EV or electric hybrid.”
This is not really new, since a lot of manufacturers have pledge and moved quickly to grab a piece of the EV market. A clear example, is Volkswagen after the whole diesel scandal. Tesla being one of the main players in the EV sector, seems to be a great challenger for the already established car companies. This challenge has brought the big companies to react and compete with Tesla on the same EV sector. Ford creating the Mach-E and Volkswagen turning the bus into a full electric vehicle, just to mention a couple.
The second hint I got from Grassroots was KIA stopping the production of the Stinger, and Hyundai stopping all but the N version of the Veloster. Apparently, the factory being used for the Stinger will be used for EVs, and the Veloster cut is a consequence of market demands.
Market demand and supply became a mutated issue as of lately, due to the shortage on ICs. From Time article Can we fix the semiconductor shortage in the US? by Andrew Blum:
“When the initial lockdowns caused car sales to collapse, automakers cut their orders for parts, including semiconductors. (A typical new car can contain more than a thousand chips.) Chip manufacturers saw the slack and shifted their output to serve the surging demand for consumer electronics, like webcams and laptops.”
This shift, caused the current shortage of chips for new cars, and low new car inventory, that we are currently seeing. As a consequence, now all the cheap used project cars you could get before are way more expensive. Taking it one step further, that project car that you were ready to start with, became more expensive, hence your allocated budget is not enough anymore. But these are part of a topic on its own.
The Veloster line-up cut, might not be due to the IC shortage but more so because there is less demand of “enthusiast” cars. We have experienced this in the US many times, reflected on manufacturers not bringing the cool cars anymore, like wagons, Ford Fiestas, or the RS.
Do I dislike EVs? No, I actually think they are cool and a good option. They are an option to fossil fuels, and they seem to perform better. A lot of the designs we have seen are actually really, really cool, like the Tesla line-up (overlooking their quality control issues), Lucid Motors, the Porsche Taycan, and the recent Porsche Mission R.
What’s the issue with EVs then? Well, nothing immediate. The fossil fuel to electric swap seems to be projected to more than 10 years out. It might be seeing the change right in front of me, that seems to be making me a little paranoid. With EVs, the whole working on your own car will eventually vanish, or at least that is my fear. Not that manufacturers were making it any easier already. Finally, the whole price outrageousness that the IC shortage triggered, is not helping the enthusiast either.
Again, nothing against EVs, but are we talking about the romantic idea of the mechanical things that need special care, like James Stacey and the Hodinkee team puts it on Episode 155 of their podcast. I understand, when we contrast this EV vs Fossil Fuel argument with the Smart Watch vs Mechanical watch argument. These new electronic gadgets and cars, are more efficient, and somehow the future. But, there is something that mechanical watches and manual cars give, that cannot be replicated by the electric counterparts. Again, it might be the romantic idea or the engagement of winding, and rowing gears, the tinkering, you name it.
This is definitely not a new topic, and not a topic that has not been discussed by every other media outlet out there. I do believe that it is a developing topic, at least from my point of view. there will definitely be a motorsport future with EVs, I do believe so. We will see where the car industry takes us and the hobby that we all enjoy. Until further developments, thanks again for reading.
DL