What about electric cars in Oman?

A recent report quoting a top BHP official said 2017 is the tipping point for electric cars. Europe has begun a shift away from the internal combustion engine, although globally there are only one million electric cars out of a global fleet of close to 1.1 billion, the report said. But it added that electric cars are expected to soon cost the same as traditional vehicles — as early as next year, by some estimates.

Many governments have announced plans to promote all-electric cars in the coming years. The BHP official said he expected the electric vehicle boom would be felt by producers first in copper.

The market, he said, may have underestimated the impact on the red metal — fully electric vehicles require four times as much copper as cars that run on combustion engines.

Coming to Oman, fuel prices are not what it was a couple of years ago.

It is at its all-time high now.

Already, there are signs of people swapping fuel-guzzlers for smaller and compact cars.

In a country where public transport is still in the development stages, it gives scope for electric and hybrid cars to make their way into the market.

While the inflated fuel bills may encourage people to look for alternatives, electric cars need a certain type of infrastructure to be in place for it to become a common sight on our roads.

The cars need charging stations just like fuel stations.

Also, motorists should be convinced that there is no compromise on the safety and reliability factors over long distances.

One of the leading brands in Oman, Hyundai was quoted globally that it was placing electric vehicles at the centre of its product strategy — one that includes plans for a premium long-distance electric car as it seeks to catch up with Tesla and other rivals.

Toyota is also working on long distance, fast-charging electric vehicles.

Hyundai plans to launch an electric sedan in 2021 with a range of 500 km per charge.

It will also introduce a small sports utility vehicle (SUV) with a range of 390 km in the first half of next year.

“In Oman, it is just a matter of time that we see more electric vehicles on roads, especially in the wake of rising fuel prices.

“Greens may not come cheap but customers are interested provided they have some decent options,” said a senior official at a popular car brand in Oman.

He added that climatic conditions are extreme and people are apprehensive about their sustainability.

“I prefer electric cars in the long run and it is time that Oman takes initiatives in this matter,” said Yosuf Ahmed, a student at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).

“Oman, as a country, is not known for pollution but still we can contribute to climate change in a big way.

I think the government should encourage the use of electric cars through concessions or green points,” said Arpita, who returned to Oman after completing studies in the Far-

East.

“I saw a lot of focus on the electric cars in countries like Singapore, Malaysia and even India. We should also be talking more about it here,” she said..

VINOD NAIR