It was a bit of a surprise. I know there are a few around, but you still don’t really expect to see them.
The other evening as I was driving home down the 103, I passed a different looking sort of vehicle. What made it stand out as much as anything was the fact that it didn’t have much of a grill. And it took me a minute to figure it out. But on the hood was a small T shaped emblem. A Tesla!
Not that I should be that surprised. As I say, I know they are around. You just don’t see them very often. Not only that, but just as I had figured out what I had just seen, there was another one just like it. Two Teslas. On the same night on the same road in a province where you would be hard pressed to try to find one.
You know it’s coming. For those who wonder where you are going to be able to charge such a vehicle, there are a few charging stations around the area right now, and more will probably pop up.
Not only that, you hear of things going in the electric direction. By early in the 2030’s, electric cars will be the norm and gas vehicles will be hard to come by. At least, that’s what we hear.
But it did make me wonder. Has anyone asked the wildlife?
We see enough roadkill around as it is. What will happen when they animals can’t hear the cars coming? Will we see deer walking along the sides of the highway wearing signs saying “Make Noise!”? Will porcupines start to bristle at any humming sound?
I like the idea of electric vehicles in general. But I wonder if they have thought it all through. Just over the past year, with the reduction of human activity due to pandemic restrictions, we have seen more wildlife moving into areas which was the domain of people. Will that start to happen as we gradually move to quieter vehicles? Will there be animals standing all over the road because they have no idea what is bearing down on them?
There have been suggestions that electric vehicles may have to be equipped with some sort of noisemaker because pedestrians can’t hear them coming. So what happens when the get on rural highways?
I guess we will find out as time goes on.
