Electric vehicles (EVs) have been growing in popularity in recent years because of the potential they have in reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality. Unlike typical gasoline-powered vehicles, which release toxic gases into the atmosphere, electric ones release no fumes and can help to fight climate change. Although the price of an EV may be higher, the money you pay will surely pay off after time and they have several advantages which make them a better and more environmentally friendly choice.
It is said that electric automobiles produce no emission at all and that would have been true statement, because they have no tailpipes, if not the fact, that we cannot exclude the process of making and charging the machines, which unfortunately also creates some emissions. Even so, vehicles that are electric will never produce as much carbon emissions as the gasoline-burning cars, which is a big advantage of the EVs over classic gas-powered cars, which are mostly responsible polluting the air in many cities in the world.
The creation of a massive lithium-ion batteries is probably the main source of EV emissions. Cobalt or lithium, minerals which are the essentials to create such battery must be mined and then heated. Those processes require the use of fossil fuels. Tesla Model 3 now uses a 80 kWh lithium-ion battery. Building a battery that big, to this exact car model, forces us to create about 12 metric tons of CO2. From this it follows, that by producing a new Electric Vehicle, we also produce about 80% more emissions than if we produced a classic gas-powered car. However as we know the technology constantly improves, so the emissions associated with manufacturing batteries and general EV production are very likely to drop.
The situation gets much better when Electric vehicles leave their factory. The biggest source of EV emissions then becomes the energy that is used to charge the batteries located inside the cars. The amount of created pollution varies on for example the energy that is used to charge them. Studies found that if the power source are fossil fuels, coal or gas, the average emission created by a fully electric car will only be about 200 grams of CO2 for every driven mile, while gasoline-powered cars create 350 grams of CO2. However if the electricity comes from solar, wind, or other renewable sources then the difference in emissions is beginning to become significant. Either way, in most cases choosing en electric vehicle can still be a better and wiser option than gasoline-powered automobile.
By 2050 classic gasoline vehicles are supposed to be even more efficient, whereas the electric vehicles are expected to become their best possible version. From more than 350 grams of CO2 per mile, fuel-powered cars pollution is supposed to decrease to about 225 grams of CO2 by that time. EVs battery, however, is able to drop 125 grams of CO2 and maybe even to only 50 gram of CO2 per mile in that same timeframe.
I would not say it is correct to say that electric vehicles are definitely better for the climate than fuel cars. Even though EVs have a huge potential to reduce the air pollution, this all not only depends the car, but on more than one factor including the source of electricity that is used to charge it and the process of its making.
Sources:
-https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/how-clean-are-electric-cars/
-https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/are-electric-vehicles-definitely-better-climate-gas-powered-cars
-https://www.energysage.com/electric-vehicles/101/pros-and-cons-electric-cars/
-https://www.edfenergy.com/for-home/energywise/electric-cars-and-environment
It is true that electric cars have no exhaust emissions and can have a lower carbon footprint than conventional internal combustion engines, especially when powered by renewable energy. The blog does, however, also correctly point out that the manufacturing of EVs, especially the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, can produce emissions and that the overall environmental impact of EVs depends on a number of factors, including the source of the electricity used to charge them. These aspects must be taken into account while assessing the possible environmental advantages of EVs.
Personally, I believe that EV are great opportunity for car manufacturers to capture bigger market share. EV market is still rapidly growing and on the other hand old fashion cars market is mature.
I have never thought before that electric cars release toxic gases into the atmosphere just like gasoline-powered vehicles do. Little attention is turned to the fact that the creation of massive batteries, that allow electric cars to operate, is also a significant source of emissions. I was relieved to read that by 2050 electric cars are anticipated to minimize substantially their CO2 pollution. I totally agree with you that it is irrational to say that electric cars can be considered one of the main solutions to prevent climate change from developing.
Great post on the so-called “underwater stones” that EV vehicles and industry brings with itself. Even though they appear to be super green and climate friendly from the first sight, they can be even more dangerous to the environment than traditional gasoline automobiles. I would also like to mention here that the mining of lithium and its production is not an ethical activity at all and has often been linked with usage of extensive child labor. Only when the aforementioned issues can be dealt with, the EV vehicles can replace traditional gas cars and make a contribution to making the environment cleaner and greener.