Since the dawn of civilization, we have adopted various technologies to fulfill our needs and accomplish tasks more efficiently. Over time, we’ve not only embraced new tools but continually improved and invented them, achieving one technological milestone after another.

For every type of task, multiple technologies have been developed. Take motor vehicles, for example. We’ve had petrol engines, diesel engines, gas-powered engines, and now electric motors. Each served its time, and each was considered as a great innovation in its era. But no matter how revolutionary a technology may seem, it eventually becomes outdated.

Consider the evolution of audio and data storage systems.

The gramophone was once a groundbreaking invention. Perhaps you may have seen them. Then came tape recorders, which were eventually replaced by compact discs (CDs). CDs gave way to DVDs, and now DVDs have largely vanished. Do you still use DVDs? Please let me know through your comments. Today, we usually rely on USB drives, cloud storage, and streaming through the internet.

What’s interesting is that older technologies often had longer lifespans. The gramophone lasted decades. Tape recorders stayed somewhat less. What about DVDs? They hardly stayed for a few years compared to their predecessors. So, the pattern is clear- as technology advances, its shelf life shortens. New innovations are better, faster, and more efficient. However, they don’t last longer. They are quickly replaced by the next wave of progress.

Are EVs the next floppy disks?

Now let’s talk about electric vehicles (EVs), which is being termed as “revolution” in transportation. EV technology is still evolving, and while it’s often promoted as the solution to the environmental problems, they are not up to the mark in many ways.

As we know the governments all around the world are aggressively pushing EV’s adoption. They offer subsidies to buyers, penalize fossil fuel vehicles with extra taxes, and run campaigns that make traditional engines seem outdated or irresponsible. But here's a tiny problem. Unfortunately, EVs are not as green as they’re claimed to be. The production of their batteries, the mining of rare earth materials, and the electricity needed to charge them (often generated from non-renewable sources) all contribute to pollution, sometimes more than conventional vehicles.

Moreover, EVs are not always reliable. They face issues with charging infrastructure, battery degradation, cold/hot weather performance, and limited driving range. And yet, despite all these drawbacks, they’re being forced into the market with unusual urgency.

So, the question arises: Why are governments so determined to push EVs?

The answer, unfortunately, is not related to environmental concern, it’s related to the economics and the politics. I may be wrong but the circumstances infer that this push benefits a specific group. We know who they are. They are our beloved politicians and their corporate allies. It’s all about profits, power, and control. Subsidies don’t come out of thin air. They come from public money. By shifting consumer spending toward expensive EVs and creating a market dominated by a few large players, eventually wealth gets concentrated even further in hands of a few.

So, the end goal may be to extract more from the public, boost profits for elite corporations, and reinforce political influence. It’s not about saving the planet, it’s about securing dominance.

As my brain says to me

In my view, like floppy disks, CDs, and plasma TVs, electric vehicles may not stand the test of time. They may seem like the future now, but so did many technologies that have become obsolete now. What we see today is not the final solution. It’s just another step in a long line of transitions. And when the next "solution" comes along, the cycle will repeat. Nothing will remain permanent. I may be wrong but history repeats itself.