America’s addiction to petrol used to be a fact of life that no-one ever thought would change. To guzzle petrol in your car was considered a right and as American as ordering a cheese burger or protesting one’s right to carry lethal weapons. But everything changes, and so two huge American corporations are actively ushering in this change. GE (General Electric) has said it will be ordering 25,000 electric cars, mainly for its leasing business, in order to ‘kick start’ the market. The economic benefits of this move are wide ranging, not least for the lucky breakdown assistance firm who would land any contract to provide recovery services.
The first wave of the company’s purchase comes in the form of 12,000 Chevrolet Volts, which will put a smile on plenty of GM (General Motors) workers too. But what is the thinking behind buying so many electric cars? Well you know all those charging posts that the electric cars of the future will need to re-charge? GE makes those. It also makes a whole host of other items associated with the electric car, so it is of course very keen that the industry takes off sooner rather than later.
I can’t say I really understand the logic fully, but I’m no economist. All I do know is that twenty years ago, the idea of the ‘two Generals’ buying in to electric and thereby giving gasoline the heave-ho – would have been unthinkable. The electric car is due to completely revolutionise the car industry and its ancillaries, from the way mechanics do their jobs, to the way breakdown assistance is provided on the side of the motorway. Electric isn’t just coming, it’s already here.
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