Klaus Fröhlich, head of development at automaker BMW, recently stated that, in 50 years’ time, most of us will be driving electric cars. Sadly, this is not really applicable to me, because, at the age of 110, if I am lucky to live that long, I will be driving a wheelchair. But you never know. Usually, I am very quick to shoot down space-age predictions but, in this case, I think Fröhlich is right on the money.

It is an absolute no-brainer to realise that a lot of lithium-ion batteries of the cellphone type can be connected together to make one big battery that is easily charged and does not weigh that much. Then there is the brushless direct current motor. Very high power output for short periods, very efficient and easy to control. Everything about an electric car is great because electricity is so easy to control.

Everything the modern car has is greatly overshadowed by what the electric car can have. Something wrong with the motor? Change it – that takes less than an hour. Differential power- sharing between drive wheels? Absolutely easy. Energy recovery on breaking? Done and dusted. Lightweight drivetrain? Absolutely. Fully variable gearbox range . . . um, not required. Super-bright nightlights? Invented.

And now BMW has taken the plunge. I am sure Mercedes-Benz will follow. It is not to say that the engineering developments of the internal combustion engine have not been fabulous. They have. But all that machining, lathe turning, casting, aligning . . . No longer necessary.

Fuelling the electric car is still a challenge; you can fill up your car with petrol and add a few hundred megajoules in less than two minutes. With the electric car, this is not possible – right now, we rely on plugging it into the nearest wall socket. But, perhaps, a battery replacement/change-out station. Or some other scheme.

But, for the first time, I am seriously considering what I used to mock; people would tell me that the oil companies would never allow the electric car to develop. Rubbish, I would say. But look at it now – the massive markups the oil companies have had for the last 100 years are going to vanish. They will still produce lubricants, LPG and diesel fuel (electric cars are one thing . . . electric trucks, well not). But petrol demand is going to drop. They can move into generating electricity themselves, from oil, but this is not going to make as much money as petrol.

The only thing I can think of is for the oil companies to turn themselves into electric energy suppliers but not baseload – rather take that crude oil and be prepared to generate by means of gas turbines lots of power at short notice.

Then, of course, we are talking First World and Second World. It is very unlikely that the Third World is going to use electric cars any time soon. The simple fact is that, when an electric car breaks down in the middle of Africa, anybody who could fix it would be a wonder man indeed. And, given the maintenance regime of the average African car outside Southern Africa, it is doubtful that the electric car would survive. Right now in the middle of Africa you are in danger of having your radio and battery stolen and your fuel siphoned off. For the electric car, they just steal the whole darn power source and drive motor.

But we are talking 50 years and perhaps not. And perhaps I exaggerate. Having driven a few electric cars, one thing I can tell you is that they have torque beyond your dreams. Floor the pedal and they take off with an exhilarating acceleration, which would make Jeremy Clarkson blink. A few times.

There are just a few things which have to be dealt with. Having an accident in an electric car is far more likely to damage something very expensive, the battery, for example. Then there is no such thing as a full-throated roar from the electric car. Of course, you could fit one. You can even modify it. You can have The Ride of The Valkyries playing, followed by Charlie Don’t Surf. It is sure going to be interesting.