We have been witnessing euphoria about electric car production in our public discourse , with the government aiming to mass produce 10000 such vehicles in 2014. Electric cars, however, are a more likely answer to address mounting pressures on fuel subsidies resulting from increased fossil fuel consumption as there are a number of social benefits of electric cars when compared to petroleum fueled cars, such as the use of electrical energy derived from domestic power generation will increase economic growth, the reduction of air pollution in cities will improve public health quality, and the potential for reducing renewable electricity integration costs. however , a number of potential social costs arising from the use of electric-powered cars can also be identified when the cost per unit in electric car usage is becoming cheaper, for example the increasing traffic congestion, particularly in places where a car culture is prevalent. Based on Jakarta's traffic data in 2010 from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), there were about 76.9 millions motor vehicles on the roads at that time. It appears that the discourse about electric cars is not timely. There is no use in promoting electric cars for personal use when our roads are already congested. As long as the technology remains expensive and battery capabilities are unable to store lasting power in an efficient manner, and for as long as subsidized fuel remains available, electric cars will be less economical and hardly replace conventional cars.
Response:
Nowadays global warming and the extinction of fossil fuels issue are discussed lively by people all around the world and I find they are closely related with the electric car issue. As we know conventional cars use the limited fossil fuels up and the carbon emissions contribute to global warming. Electric car can become an answer to all of these problem. Of course the government should not think of this problem as simple as turning the palm of the hand. People who are quite "comfortable" with the conventional cars may go against the new policy as they have to buy the new electric car to replace their "old" car. Moreover the electric cars are quite expensive and the infrastructures to support them, such as the massive power plants, take lots of money to be built. I believe the transformation can not be done at once, so it may be conducted step by step. As the short-term plan, the government can manage to improve the quality of public transports to become convenient and reliable electric cars. By abolishing fossil fuels subsidy, people are forced to take the public transport instead. It may sound ruthless, but actually give them advantages. The number of private cars on the road can be decreased gradually and it will cause less traffic congestion. As the long-term plan, after the infrastructures are functioning properly, the government can introduce the new electric cars for private use and the distribution should be done well. My conclusion is electric cars can be a good solution for our earth and health, but the transformation process should be addressed by the government wisely.
