Energy Storage Reflection

In my eyes, there are three main hurdles holding back the development of electric cars

1) Cost

Currently, companies like Tesla are relying on subsidies from the federal government to remain profitable. Established automobile companies rely on government funding for their electric car research as well. This may not sound like a problem, but it belies a deeper point. The electric car industry is extremely fragile; if funding dries up, it could set development back years or decades. Right now, the money just isn't there--and that isn't sustainable.

2) Infrastructure

Electric cars run on electricity, which means they're clean. The only problem? That electricity has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is almost always fossil fuels. This fact de-incentivizes the purchase of electric cars, as they can't fulfill their stated purpose without a radical overhaul of energy infrastructure. Another problem: there just aren't enough charging ports. Gas stations are everywhere, but charging stations aren't. To take over the future, electric cars are going to need to drag infrastructure with them.

3) Technology

Current electric car technology isn't good, and isn't efficient. It is massively wasteful of lithium and other REMs, which has already angered international bodies. Unless something changes soon, the flow of resources could be reduced or even halted entirely. And while strides are being made, it might be too little too late.