Rising fuel prices may be stalling motorists just now, but their plight could yet provide the driving force for change in the nation’s motoring habits.
That is the belief of one Dundee company at the forefront of lithium-ion battery technology science that is already helping to power electric and hybrid vehicles around the world.
Axeon, which is based at Wester Gourdie and has plants throughout Europe, firmly believes that with petrol and diesel prices set to continue soaring, the era of the electric car is truly upon us.
The firm thinks that if road users are willing to take a leap of faith, its technology will not let them down.
Rebecca Trengove from the firm told us, “Hybrid and fully electric cars are readily available. They’re still more expensive than those with just an internal combustion engine, but as the cost of fuel gets higher electric cars get more competitive.
“You’re buying a fuel tank that’s full upfront.First generation”The first generation of these cars are on sale and people will see vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV and see that they work.
“As time goes on and the cost of the cars come down then people will start to see that this is the future.”
The problem with replacing the internal combustion has been replicating the infrastructure that has been built up around it.
In a world in which electric vehicles dominate, petrol stations dotted throughout towns will be replaced by charging points on streets.
Mrs Trengove added, “Someone who lives in Blairgowrie could commute to Dundee every day and simply charge it overnight.
“The journey uses about a quarter of the battery and they could even plug it in at work to top it up.
“If you think of it like a mobile phone, I plug that in when I can so that it never gets drained.”If you want to support the Courier’s call for a fuel duty regulator, click here to add your name to our petition.