Shaunak Sathe
Since Elon Musk introduced Tesla, the company has been growing steadily in the market for electric cars. With the benefits of a luxury ride, high acceleration, and self-driving features, Tesla also claims to be a sustainable choice for the environment by slowing global warming. However, skeptics have pointed out that an electric car is not as environmentally friendly as it claims, as the electricity that it uses comes from mostly fossil fuels. In the United States, almost 85% of electricity is generated through non-renewable sources, including coal, natural gas, and oil. This does seem slightly better the alternative. Rather than deriving 100% of its power through fossil fuels, like the common gas-powered car, Tesla uses around 85%.
Another piece of the puzzle is creating a demand of electric cars in developing countries, which does not exist in the present. This cannot happen unless these cars become affordable for the everyday person. Today, in the United States, the cheapest Tesla costs about $40,000. Meanwhile, the average world family income in US Dollars is about $9700. Right now, it is obvious that electric cars are not affordable to the average person. The challenge in the future is making the vehicle from cheaper parts without compromising its sustainability, so that it can be marketed to the majority of the population. The citizens of developing countries are often too busy working to put food on the table, rather than buying expensive electric cars for sustainability.
In most locations, electric cars statistically produce less of a carbon footprint than gas cars. However, even this statistic has its issues, as the carbon emission can vary greatly by location. For example, in Victoria, Australia, Tesla cars were recorded to produce almost two times the carbon emissions as Toyota gas-powered vehicles. This is largely due to the manufacturing process, were rare parts must be shipped from across the world. After the life of these electric cars has ended, we must also take into account the disposing of the lithium ion batteries and other potentially dangerous materials that are used to power the electric car. These chemicals can eventually enter the water system, and wreak havoc on life from all trophic levels.
Nevertheless, this problem is very urgent, as the difference between the number of drivers and the number of vehicles increases every year. Transportation is extremely important in modern society, and a solution must be found to make cars more sustainable for the environment. Motor vehicles account for a large portion of the carbon emissions and greenhouse gas release. Normal gas vehicles emit large amounts of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. While electric cars are part of the solution, they are far from perfect. As technology innovates, the efficiency is manufacturing will improve, and electric cars become increasingly popular. Furthermore, countries must switch to renewable sources of electricity (hydroelectric, wind, solar) in order for electric cars to have the least environmental impact. In the end, these companies care more about making a profit, than they do about the environment. Unfortunately, this means that electric cars can never be a perfect solution to this issue, though it can be a start.
Questions:
Do you think electric cars are a sustainable alternative to gas powered cars? Do you believe electric cars will become more sustainable, cheaper, and popular in the future? Do you believe it is beneficial to invest in electric cars, or make a greater impact by spending money elsewhere?
Sources:
https://www.epa.gov/energy/about-us-electricity-system-and-its-impact-environment
https://theconversation.com/teslas-in-victoria-arent-greener-than-diesels-40834
https://marketrealist.com/2019/04/is-tesla-really-doing-more-harm-than-good-to-the-environment/
https://grist.org/article/u-s-car-fleet-shrinks-by-four-million-in-2009/
https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck
10 comments:
I believe that the issue surrounding electric cars vs gas powered cars is much more nuanced than people realize. To make the batteries for electric cars a very rare metal must be mined which damages ecosystems and requires a lot of energy. Furthermore, the power that charges the batteries comes from fossil fuels anyways. However, the emissions released from the car itself are 0. If electric vehicles become more sustainable to manufacture and the energy that charges them comes from renewable sources than electric cars will become a great option. I believe that the best course of action is to actually discourage personal travel as little as possible. We should establish mag-lev train systems across the country. They release much less emissions than planes and public transportation releases much less energy than personal vehicles. I think that if countries put the money into green energy and train systems we will greatly reduce our environmental impact than investing in more sustainable personal vehicles.
I did not realize that electric cars caused such levels of detrimental effects to the environment. It surprised me when I read that Tesla derives 85% of its power from fossil fuels. Before reading this blog post, I was under the impression that Teslas were going to transform the transportation sector of our lives. However, I am no longer under this impression. Although electric cars are better for the environment than regular gas powered cars, are we really benefitting from their small margins of efficiency? Despite knowing this, I am excited to see what scientists and engineers are able to come up with in the future. I believe that these cars are future, and many countries should look to implementing these cars as it will help the environment as well as help their economies and infrastructure.
Before reading this blog post, I did believe our current electric cars were a sustainable alternative to gas powered cars. However, after seeing that these electric cars have almost as much carbon emission as gasoline-powered cars, I’m kind of iffy on current electric cars. I do believe electric cars have the potential to be more sustainable and popular in the future; however, I feel like when we start using renewable sources to power these electric cars, this would cause an increase in the cost of the car. I really do hope that more countries are investing in cheaper material options without sacrificing sustainability because that would really help developing countries tackle some of the environmental problems that come with carbon emissions. Although most businesses wouldn’t agree with me, I do believe it is beneficial to invest in electric cars because if companies have more customers who buy electric cars, the companies might be able to gain more profit in comparison to having more customers who buy gasoline-powered cars.
Although Tesla receives the most press about electric vehicles, they are not the only ones manufacturing them. They are just the "cool kids." Chevy makes a couple of very affordable electric vehicles as does Nissan, Toyota and Honda- just to name a few. Toyota's Pruis is the most widely recognized hybrid and they certainly have their rabid fans!
Several advantages come to mind with an electric vehicle. One is moving from non-point source emissions to point source. This is good because it means we have a great chance of carbon capture and sequestration from point-sources. Also, remember, it isn't just carbon we emit when we drive. We also emit nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, SPMs and VOCs - all which are dangerous air pollutants. Those either do not exist in electric vehicles or they move to point sources instead. And finally, once we get better at generating electricity from renewable sources, we make big strides in helping mitigate our driving issues.
I keep pushing for someone to come up with parking lots with solar panels so we can keep our cars cool in the summer and charge them up while people work. Wouldn't that be a boon for some company to offer its employees?
And then, lets just start talking about hydrogen cars...
This blog post was extremely eye-opening for me. I do not believe that many people understand that electric cars can also negatively impact our environment. I wasn’t aware that 85% of fossil fuels were used by Tesla. I’m not sure electric cats will become more sustainable in the future. It depends on whether people understand how electric cars are impacting our environment and why we need to change it. It will have to undergo much more research to be able to develop a sustainable and cheaper car. I think as of what we have right now electric cars are better than gasoline cars but with the high use of fossil fuels we need to change it. If we can come together and find a car that can fit the requirements of sustainability then it would be most beneficial to invest in those.
Wow I had no idea about all the negative effects electric cars have on the environment; I actually believed using them would help our environment a great deal. This really got me by surprised, but when I head that 85% of all their fossil fuels are used by Tesla car i got so shocked. Now that basically any type of vehicular transportation has bad effects on the environment, I believe the best way to fight out problem is to go around with bicycles, walk, or carpool. Although this seems like a lot more work, which it is, our society is advancing day by day and it wont be long until scientists and technically invent something to benefit u all.
I had previously thought electric cars were environmentally friendly. After reading this blog post, however, I have learned that is not the case. Tesla uses a whopping 85% of fossil fuels. In order to reduce this number and make sure our environment isn't hurt by vehicles that were supposedly friendly to it, we need to make sure electric cars run on sustainable fuels. Although this may be expensive, in the end it will be worth it, as we are making sure that we do not harm out planet. It will take a lot of time and hard work to figure out how to create the ideal, sustainable car, so as of right now we can rely on the electric cars we have now, as they are a better alternative than cars that use gasoline, albeit the difference is minimal. It will be beneficial to our environment to improve electric cars and find more sustainable fuels, so that is what we must do.
While electric cars are more environmentally friendly than regular gas powered cars (by 15%), it’s not a proper alternative. I was under the impression that electric cars, or hybrids and the sort used fossil fuels to power less that 50% of the car. That being said, technology is definitely improving rapidly so I’m excited to see what the future has in store! I definitely believe that electric cars will become more sustainable and affordable, just as soon as it becomes more mainstream. Carbon emissions from automobiles are a large percentage of emissions in total. Investing in electric cars could eventually reduce emissions by a large percentage, so it’s worth it to invest in their development and production.
I do think electric cars are a sustainable alternative. They do, for the most part, decrease carbon emissions which I think is beneficial. However, I have recently grown more fond of improvements in public transportation. It is much more eco-friendly and countries all across Europe are adopting it into their worlds. I think, and hope, that public transportation will become more sustainable and widely used so that we can truly reduce CO2 emissions. I think it would be much more beneficial if we could invest all the money in electric powered trains that looked luxurious and were affordable for all, so that the stigma of “taking the bus” can go away.
Prior to this post, I didn’t know much about the negative effects of electric cars. Although they are a more sustainable alternative to gas-powered cars, I think there are many ways to improve upon our options and create better alternatives. It was eye-opening to read about the carbon emissions and toxic effects on the environment from the electric cars as a result of manufacturing, shipping, and battery disposal. Additionally, the cost of electric cars are a major reason that they aren’t as popular, so if the production costs can be lowered, the electric car could have a greater impact on society. Overall, I think electric cars are a decent temporary alternative to gas-powered cars, but we need to keep developing more sustainable transportation and shouldn’t become complacent in the strides that we have already made.
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