By Kedar Soman
Recently someone asked me "Why do you like electric vehicles?".
It's like asking a soldier why did you join army, or asking a cricket player what motivated you to play cricket? It's a very short question, insinuating a short answer is expected and the hesitation in reply comes not from your lack of commitment to your cause, but from a momentary overload of thoughts and emotions that make it a challenge to condense the reply in one sentence.
It's like asking a soldier why did you join army, or asking a cricket player what motivated you to play cricket? It's a very short question, insinuating a short answer is expected and the hesitation in reply comes not from your lack of commitment to your cause, but from a momentary overload of thoughts and emotions that make it a challenge to condense the reply in one sentence.
I did want to give a reply a little different from the standard green reasons. While that reply, the benefits to the environment from the electric vehicle, is true and stands on it's own merit, that has not been the only reason I like electric vehicles.
A large part of my career was computer programming. In my teens, I remember playing with a computer called Sinclair Spectrum that you attached to TV and used to play games. Then I remember computers in college, the big bulky machines with giant monochrome monitors that needed strong air conditioning.
At some point, I remember using Unix. I liked the operating system and various tools and utilities is provided. But that was available only at select machines and the time slots needed to be reserved.
Almost a decade later I remember downloading and installing Red Hat Linux and pure joy at finding all the Unix tools and software at my fingertips. The availability of software was not constraint anymore. Linux had democratized the opportunities and changed the game. I was able to download some advanced graphics libraries and make graphics application, I was able to play with tons and tons of open source software, I was able to fiddle with system utilities and get into flesh and bones of the operating system
I strongly believe we are on the cusp of another such revolution. Access to build and tweak a vehicle was an activity limited to very chosen few, is about to be opened up for all to play. Who can build an electric vehicle? Almost anyone in their garage. Government regulations are one limiting factor but that will evolve eventually.
There is a good chance that the product selling companies in the auto sector will evolve into platform selling companies. Innovators will use platforms and build customized products. The customized product from a minibus can be an ambulance that has more communication and performance features, or a school bus that has more safety features or a tourist bus that has more comfort and luxury features. I know that Mahindra electric is already working on such a platform.
Not to mention the infinite possibilities that exist in tweaking software for power management unit of the vehicle, battery management system, data collection and even charging infrastructure. This will be a great boost for the country like ours, which has a strong footprint in the software business.
If I wish, I can put solar panels and create electricity to charge my vehicles.
Who makes, sells, runs, operates, vehicles will change. The business models that rely on having high barriers to entry will fade away. The open and flexible business models based on creating more opportunities for entry will take center stage.
In a nutshell, this will lead to the democratization of the whole transport industry and decentralize the access to resources like knowledge and energy. Not just auto manufacturing, but oil business will change too. Despots and tyrants in oil-producing countries who thrive on control over resources, who stifle democracy and trample human rights, will be severely weakened. Sun's energy and wind's power is available far more equally and is hard to control.
Will that be heaven on earth? Not entirely. But it will be the step in right direction for sure.
A large part of my career was computer programming. In my teens, I remember playing with a computer called Sinclair Spectrum that you attached to TV and used to play games. Then I remember computers in college, the big bulky machines with giant monochrome monitors that needed strong air conditioning.
At some point, I remember using Unix. I liked the operating system and various tools and utilities is provided. But that was available only at select machines and the time slots needed to be reserved.
Almost a decade later I remember downloading and installing Red Hat Linux and pure joy at finding all the Unix tools and software at my fingertips. The availability of software was not constraint anymore. Linux had democratized the opportunities and changed the game. I was able to download some advanced graphics libraries and make graphics application, I was able to play with tons and tons of open source software, I was able to fiddle with system utilities and get into flesh and bones of the operating system
I strongly believe we are on the cusp of another such revolution. Access to build and tweak a vehicle was an activity limited to very chosen few, is about to be opened up for all to play. Who can build an electric vehicle? Almost anyone in their garage. Government regulations are one limiting factor but that will evolve eventually.
There is a good chance that the product selling companies in the auto sector will evolve into platform selling companies. Innovators will use platforms and build customized products. The customized product from a minibus can be an ambulance that has more communication and performance features, or a school bus that has more safety features or a tourist bus that has more comfort and luxury features. I know that Mahindra electric is already working on such a platform.
Not to mention the infinite possibilities that exist in tweaking software for power management unit of the vehicle, battery management system, data collection and even charging infrastructure. This will be a great boost for the country like ours, which has a strong footprint in the software business.
If I wish, I can put solar panels and create electricity to charge my vehicles.
Who makes, sells, runs, operates, vehicles will change. The business models that rely on having high barriers to entry will fade away. The open and flexible business models based on creating more opportunities for entry will take center stage.
In a nutshell, this will lead to the democratization of the whole transport industry and decentralize the access to resources like knowledge and energy. Not just auto manufacturing, but oil business will change too. Despots and tyrants in oil-producing countries who thrive on control over resources, who stifle democracy and trample human rights, will be severely weakened. Sun's energy and wind's power is available far more equally and is hard to control.
Will that be heaven on earth? Not entirely. But it will be the step in right direction for sure.
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