Why are electric cars the future?

Every year, electric cars make technological advancements that are leaving gas vehicles in the past. The primary reason: Lithium-ion battery technology is improving, giving newer electric cars greater range at a lower cost than just a few years ago. And since 99% of United States-based car trips are under 100 miles, EVs can cover a wide range of weekly errands and daily commutes.

In this Veritasium video, sponsored by BMW, Derek Mueller delves into the history of electric cars and explains why electric cars are the future. He writes:

I drive an electric car. I think electric cars are the future, not mainly because they’re better for the environment (which they are if you drive the car for any reasonable length of time) but because they are just better cars.

They have better torque and acceleration, better handling, they’re more efficient, quieter, they don’t smell, they’re cheaper to run and best of all you never have to visit a gas station – this appeals to me. I never have to worry about being low on gas because every morning my car is charged and ready to go – just like my phone and laptop.

And if you’re worried about range, don’t. Almost all trips can already be done in an electric car with a modest battery pack. And fast chargers along the way make it possible to do longer road trips if necessary. You have to make rest stops anyway, just time them with the charging. And consider that battery tech is getting dramatically cheaper, smaller, lighter. All these reasons are why I see the future of cars as electric.

Plus, from Clean Technica:

On average, a conventional car creates more than twice as much carbon pollution as an electric car. Even in the state that gets almost all of its electricity from burning coal [West Virginia], an EV still pollutes less than a typical conventional car. Assuming a 10 year useful life, an average conventional car will spew out 66,000 pounds more carbon pollution than an average electric vehicle. That’s 33 tons, folks.

Watch these next: Stanford Solar Car Project: Racing on Sunshine, an EV acceleration world record, and from Wired, Behind the Scenes of How the Tesla Model S is Made.