Electric and Autonomous carJobs and Automation

Electric Cars and Robots: Their Negatives and Positives

Background

Nissan Leaf, Leading Electric Car in the Market

Electric cars are hogging the headlines in many countries. For example in Norway, electric cars represent about 40 per cent of new car registrations. Charging stations for electric cars are everywhere. Norwegian government is providing incentives and perks to encourage drivers to purchase electric cars.

Buyers do not pay import tax and VAT on plug-in cars, shaving thousands of US dollars of the upfront cost. Running costs are lower because electricity is cheaper than petrol and diesel, while road tax is reduced, and will drop to zero in 2018.

Electric car owners also do not pay road tolls, ferry fees and city emission charges that other drivers face Moreover, the drivers can park for free and bypass traffic by driving in bus lanes.

A consulting company, EV-Volumes, which tracks electric cars globally, estimated the sales of electric cars have exceeded 3 million units. The list of car companies intending to offer electric car models is growing as shown below:

No. Car Manufacturers Models Year
1 Daimler Smart 2009
2 Peugeot iOn 2010
3 Mitsubishi I MiEV 2010
4 Nissan Leaf 2011
5 Renault Bongo Z. E. 2011
6 Tesla Model S P90D, Model S 70D 2012
7 Bollore Bluecar 2012
8 Honda Fit EV 2012
9 Ford Fpcus 2012
10 Renault Zoe 2013
11 VW e-Up! 2013
12 BMW I3 2013
13 Chevrolet Spark EV 2013
14 Fiat 500e 2013
15 Nissan e-NV200 2014
16 Kia Soul 2014
17 VW e-Golf 2014
18 Mercedes B-Class ED 2014
19 Tesla Model  X 2015
20 Nissan Leaf 2015
21 Chevrolet Chevy Bolt 2016
22 Renault Zoe upgrade 2016
23 BMW I3 upgrade 2016
24 Mercedes Smart Fortwo 2016
25 Citroen e-Mehari 2016
26 Opel Ampera-E 2017
27 VW eGolf upgrade 2017
28 Hyundai Ioniq EV 2017
29 Mercedes Cabrio, Forfour 2017
30 Audi e-tron 2018
31 Jaguar I-Pace 2018
32 Tesla Model 3 2018
33 Daimler Generation EQ 2019
34 VW I.D. 2019
35 Lucid Motors Air 2019

Source: FTWeekend, 4 November/5 November 2017

 

Tesla Model 3, Electric Car with Many Advanced Features

The March of Robots

Robots are quietly changing the employment landscape.  The large mining companies such as Rio Tinto are replacing human drivers in managing the operations of the huge trucks that carry commodities such as iron ores. The drivers who drive these monster trucks are well paid but the job is dangerous. In Rio Tinto’s mines at the remote Pilbara in Western Australia, the monster trucks are now driverless. They are being controlled 1,046 kilometres away in a control room in Perth, Western Australia.  These monster trucks operate 24 hours, without tiring.

Monster Truck is Remotely Controlled

In Santa Clara, California, US, robots are being used in selling houses. These robots are operated by the high technology property management start-up, Zenplace, and are intended to take the hassle out of coordinating showing times between real estate agents and prospective renters. The robot is operated by a real estate agent to save driving time in coordinating with the client’s schedules. Now, with the robot, the real estate agent can do between 150 and 20 showings a day, which enhances his/her  commissions.

Robot Used in Selling Real Estate

The two cases show that robots can have both negative and positive impacts. Even in a developing country like Malaysia, robots and automation are chipping away many routine jobs. Fortunately, the employees, who are affected by automation, are re-assigned to other jobs.

In 2018, the employees, whose jobs are taken by robots, may not be so lucky.

Best wishes for 2018 from Dato’ Dr Anuar Md Nor, President, Bison Consulting.