The sound of the test tracks at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show will be a little quieter this time around as silent electric motors replace revving gasoline engines on many of the hottest cars.
“I think what we are seeing now is that EV’s are mainstream,” said Robert Kelter, the senior attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center.
Kelter said driving an EV is about more than just saving the planet, it's about saving money. On top of government incentives that can shave $7,500 off the price of some new models, the average driver can expect to see about the same savings in the first five years of ownership when compared to a gas-powered model.
Ford has a special track at this year’s show to spotlight its new F-150 Lightning pickup truck. In addition to going from zero to 60 miles an hour in about four seconds, the battery powered EV can also act as a generator and power your house for up to three days.
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“As infrastructure increases, we are starting to see more and more adopters,” Ford spokesperson Rhonda Bambrick said.
The numbers seem to corroborate Bambrick's point. Bloomberg NEF expects manufacturers to deliver 13.6 million EV’s this year as opposed to 10 million last year.
The choices for drivers are also growing, as more trucks and SUVs are coming in pure electric and hybrid electric models. Jeep is offering a plug-in version of its classic Willys model while Nissan is showing the all-wheel-drive version of its Aria EV for the first time here in Chicago.
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A booming EV market also translates into growing opportunities for companies that make products that support EV’s. Autel Energy is an original equipment manufacturer of charging stations and charging equipment for homes and commercial fleets.
One solution: a charging station built into a street light style fixture for parking lot installations. “You can mount four of these around the outside of this (pole) and cover four parking spaces,” said John Thomas, Autel Electric’s COO.
“Everybody is trying to figure out where do I put it and how do I put it…we are coming up with solutions with partners to do just that,” Thomas said.
You can see how EV’s are changing the way we drive on a test track at this year’s Chicago Auto Show, which runs from Feb. 11 through Feb. 20 at McCormick Place.
