Image Credit: Captain Electro.
The world has gone absolutely mental. Again. As we all enjoyed the thought of nipping down to the shops without taking out a second mortgage, the price of "dinosaur juice" shot up like a space rocket. Over the last ten days, the US and Israel decided to have a bit of a scrap with Iran, and suddenly, the global oil market has gone completely mad. Prices spiked by over 50%, hitting more than $100 a barrel before settling around $90. It's madness at its worst, and my bank card is hiding under the bed in terror.
I'm as skeptical as a cat at a dog show when it comes to new tech. I like the roar of an engine and the smell of high-octane regret. But even a stubborn old mule like me has to admit that relying on a narrow strip of water called the Strait of Hormuz - where 20% of the world's oil squeezes through like a fat man in a wetsuit - is a recipe for disaster. Iran essentially holds the keys to our gas tanks, and they've threatened to lock the door.
Image Credit: FOX35 Orlando.
In the US, we've seen gas prices jump by about a dollar per gallon. It's the same old story: someone sneezes in the Middle East, and we all pay for the tissue. But while we're all standing at the pump watching the numbers spin faster than a pole dancer on speed, the EV crowd is sitting at home, plugged into the wall, probably sipping a craft ale and laughing at us. And it's starting to get on my nerves because they might actually be right.
Look at New Zealand. They had a great thing going with EVs until their new government decided to slap a punitive tax on them. Now, the EV sales have cratered, and New Zealand has only a few weeks of oil in reserve. They could have been running their cars on cheap, domestic hydropower - basically a "gravity juice" - but instead, they're beholden to global oil spikes. They threw away the umbrella because it stopped raining for five minutes, only to get soaked by a monsoon.
Image Credit: AFP.
China, on the other hand, is playing a smarter game. Their oil demand is plateauing because they've gone absolutely bananas for electric cars. They've realized that if you don't need the oil, you don't need to worry about who's blocking which strait. Meanwhile, Japan is stuck in the dark ages with some of the lowest EV shares in the developed world. If this conflict continues, they're going to be in a right pickle, and not the delicious kind you get with a sandwich.
The beauty of an electric motor - and it pains me to say this - is its simplicity. A gas engine is a Rube Goldberg machine of tiny explosions and moving parts that eventually all wear out. An EV? It's basically a giant AA battery on wheels. It doesn't care if the oil is $60 or $160 a barrel. It can get its "go-juice" from wind, solar, nuclear, or even a very big hamster on a wheel. It's all about energy independence - the ability to tell oil cartels to go jump in a lake.
Image Credit: BYD.
We've been fighting wars over this black sludge since the 20th century. Even the Department of Defense (people who literally specialize in "kaboom") says that our addiction to oil is a massive security risk. US oil consumption actually peaked in 2019 and has been on a downward trend ever since, thanks to EVs and heat pumps. We're finally seeing the start of a long-term decline. Norway has already passed the peak, and the rest of the planet should follow suit by the end of the decade.
I love the soul of a combustion engine and I always will, but I'm tired of being held hostage by global politics every time I want to drive to the shops. EVs are quieter, better for the air, and they don't require us to send young men and women halfway across the world to protect a pipeline. I'm not saying you have to love them, but at $4.50 a gallon, that silent hum is starting to sound a lot like freedom.
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