Arijit Saha
Inquiry Based Essay
Climate change is one of the most important global issues. There are many reasons to why the climate is changing so rapidly, and many organizations, scientists, researchers and companies are trying to end climate change. One of the major reasons of climate change is the use of fossil fuels and the emission of carbon and gases to the environment. These gases cause harm to the environment and causes climate change. Fossil fuels are the only power source to many objects that are very important to run. For example planes requires fuel to fly, ships are powered by fuels even factories and industries requires fuels to operate, and last but not least cars. Traditionally cars are powered by gasoline engines, so they require fuel to run. And the use of these fuels releases carbon monoxide to the environment. All these usage of fossil fuels from different sources releases harmful gases to the environment, these gases accumulates and harms the environment causing climate change. Now all the other uses of fossil fuels I mentioned earlier doesn’t have any substitute, but due to the technological advancements cars have a substitute way to power them other than gasoline engines. Electric cars are on the verge of being mainstream in the car industry, these cars are powered by electricity which does not release any harmful gases to the environment. These cars are run by batteries which needs to be charged that requires huge amounts of electricity. So the question of my research is that “ how are electric cars better for the environment?” a lot of factors need to be kept in consideration before getting a final conclusive answer to this question. So in the further paragraphs I will try to answer my question with the research I have conducted.
Since the 2000s the electric vehicles also known as EVs have taken the roads. There are many aspects of an electric car. There is the prices of each car to begin with, the companies, reliability, availability etc. It has been many years since the introduction of EVs but it is still not widely popular among the common car users, mostly car enthusiasts and people caring for the environment changes are buying these cars. Many people are still uneducated about these cars so they don’t know how they could contribute to saving the environment from climate change. My first source is a Forbes article by James Ellsmoor “ are electric vehicles really better for the environment” This article is very similar to my research question. There are many arguments presented in this article to answer how are electric cars better for the environment. The first argument is that the production of the batteries for the EVs results in carbon emissions to the environment, as it states in the article “There is indeed a range of rare earth metals that make up the composition of the battery, and their extraction and manipulation can contribute to carbon emissions.” So according to this battery production contributes to carbon emissions but that is only done one time, by one time I mean once the battery is made for the car from that point onwards there are no carbon emissions caused by that car since it is all electric. Now if we compare that to a traditional gasoline powered car results are different. The production of engines also causes carbon emissions from factories, then those engines are put into cars and everytime its being driven that’s causing carbon emissions. However electric cars as I mentioned earlier doesn’t have that issue, it does not release carbon when its driven as compared to gasoline powered cars. So if this argument is taken into consideration then electric cars are definitely better for the environment. That is answering one aspect of my research question, so that is one way how EVs are better for the environment. In the article it also says that “ Additionally, as EVs become more common and manufacturing becomes more widespread, battery recycling will be more efficient and reduce the need to extract new materials, therefore lessening the reliance on mining and production of new batteries” So as EVs become more mainstream there will be a deduction in the carbon emissions caused by all the mining to get resources for making the car batteries. That also shows why EVs are the right move for the future to reduce carbon emissions and to make the environment better.
To know more about the personal experience of owning an electric car I interviewed my cousin Arindam Saha who is a car enthusiast also owns a Tesla himself. So I sat down with him and asked him questions regarding my research. First I asked why did he buy a Tesla? He answered that he likes to own and experience different types of cars and wanted to try a Tesla. Tesla is the best electric vehicle manufacturer right now in the market, they are the best in the business. People are buying a lot of teslas so he bought one too. Then I asked him about the owning experience about the electric car and how that compared to the usual gasoline powered cars he owned. His answer was “ I wish I had bought this earlier it is great and it saves me a lot of money which I used to spend on gas for my usual cars” That is another aspect of the electric cars, They are expensive compared to regular cars since they are not mainstream yet and not many companies are making them. However, in the interview he said “ with the amount of gas money I saved in addition to the engine maintenance costs I could put down a deposit to buy another car” So electric vehicles does not have an engine that’s why it doesn’t require oil changes, engine maintenance and other costs that a traditional car requires to keep it up and running. Those adds up to a significant amount and according to him he did not have to spend that money since he owns a Tesla and it doesn’t have an engine. It just needs charge to keep the batteries running which is free, Tesla got supercharger stations built for its customers. So he told that is where he goes to charge up his car. Last question I asked him was, “ Do you feel any different overall after owning an electric car?” He answered “ Yes I do, I got clean air sticker for my car which basically saying my car is a clean vehicle and it does not release any harmful gases so I feel better that I do not add to the harm to the environment.” He said it himself his car does not release harmful gases to the environment. Now electric cars are getting more competitive pricing their cars in the industry, affordable Teslas are coming out. Tesla’s website says their most affordable car the Model 3 starts at 27 thousand dollars. That is the regular price point compared to cars in that class as the Tesla model 3. And in the future prices will drop even more according to current stats and data as the electric car industry will become more mainstream. So the Electric cars being expensive in the common car market is not a problem anymore and as the interview suggested those are ways EVs are better for the environment.
One article I found is from The Hill “ Electric vehicles are better for your health, your wallet and the planet” This article from author Jim Lyons focuses not only on the environment advantage of electric vehicles but also health and money aspects. In this article it shows how EVs are becoming more popular due to its advantages and also how many other manufacturers are starting to make electric vehicles. The stats taken since the introduction of EVs shows how beneficial it was for the environment and how it was a success in the market. The articles says “All the auto majors are now rushing to electrify their fleets” Due to the results of the EVs It is evident that all major companies want their cars to be electric, business goals aside that would be a huge benefit for the environment soon we will see why. This article compares how much carbon gases a gasoline car releases on average to a fully electric vehicle. The article says “The average new U.S. car that gets 29 miles per gallon has total emissions of about 400 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.” That does not seem like a big number but when compared to electric car emissions the results will be clear about how electric cars are better for the environment. The article stats “Today an electric vehicle using an average mix of U.S. power generation sources coal, natural gas, nuclear and renewables emits roughly 300 grams per mile, or 25 percent less. With more nuclear or renewable carbon free electricity, net emissions can fall to 100 grams per mile or less and that’s including upstream emissions used in the manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines and the vehicles themselves. This would mean cutting emissions from ground transportation by 75 percent” In simpler words with the advances in technology and more efficient ways to get electricity the net emissions can be as little as 100 grams per mile, as I mentioned earlier the average emission from a gasoline powered car is 400 grams per mile. After comparing we can see electric cars are so much more efficient and better for the environment the jump from 400 grams per mile to 100 grams per mile is huge and it’s clear how electric cars are better for the environment. They are emitting way less carbon to the environment. Now after seeing this comparison we can say if the major brands starts mass production of electric cars as they say they will the carbon emission number changes will be drastic. Carbon emissions will be so less, now we can see how this will be a huge benefit for the environment.
Electric cars also have other benefits not just to the environment. An article “ Benefits of electric vehicles” goes in depth to how are EVs beneficial in other ways. As I mentioned earlier EVs are cheaper to run and maintain. The details are provided in this article, in the article it says “Owners of an EV have the advantage of much lower running costs. The electricity to charge an EV works out around a third as much per kilometre as buying petrol for the same vehicle” basically EVs are cheaper to own compared to traditional gasoline cars as shown here. It is also cheaper to maintain, this article says “ A battery electric vehicle (BEV) has a lot less moving parts than a conventional petrol/diesel car. There is relatively little servicing and no expensive exhaust systems, starter motors, fuel injection systems, radiators and many other parts that aren’t needed in an EV” In specifics it says here how exactly EVs are cheaper to maintain. Lastly the articles also shows how it is better for the environment. It causes far less pollution, it is eco friendly som cars are made with eco friendly materials. And the energy are also renewable, the article suggests if renewable energy is used to charge these batteries for the vehicles greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced even further.
Power delivery to the wheels for them to move is an important factor when driving a car. The faster you want to move the car the harder you have to press the gas pedal and the harder you hit gas more carbon is released to the environment. A source I found is a book “ Electric Avenue” by David M. Levinson, talks about these factors in cars. Compares gasoline powered cars and EVs. The author says that “ Yet electric vehicles have a major inherent advantage over gasoline-powered ones: they use less energy to drive a given number of miles. The internal combustion engine wastes around 70 percent of its fuel on generating heat rather than thrust, whereas electric motors can waste as little as ten percent.” As said here EVs use less energy to drive which is also beneficial because they will use less electricity coming from renewable sources, and those electricity could be used to power objects. The downside of the gasoline powered cars is they waste its fuel which is a loss of money it needs to buy fuel as the author suggests. My next source is not directly connected to my research question but it helps my argument. This journal article “ The electric car debate” by C. Kenneth Orski shows how harmful gasoline powered cars are for the environment. The author says “ Nearly a third of carbon dioxide produced in this country, and most of the ingredients of urban smog, come out of the tailpipes of fuel-burning cars and trucks” a third of the carbon dioxide gas which is like most of the carbon dioxide gas harming the environment is coming from traditional gasoline powered cars. This data clearly shows electric cars are truly better for the environment. Another source A journal article “Battery Powered” By Steve Levine says how in the future the price of electric cars will be the same as gasoline powered cars. As I mentioned earlier it is becoming a reality now Electric cars are getting cheaper. The author says “ Over the next decade the price of an electric car may well match the price of a gasoline powered car” As I talked about it before, it is a reality now electric cars almost the same as regular cars, that should convince more people to buy electric cars and save the environment from carbon emissions.
In conclusion, electric vehicles are the future, from my inquiry it is evident that electric vehicles are better for the environment. As technology is improving EVs are moving closer to the verge of being mainstream, and once they are mainstream the environment will be better as there will be one less source of carbon gases being released. Clean air vehicles are already making the environment better. As the EVs are getting cheaper they will attract more consumers and that will help in conserving the environment from carbon emission.
Levinson, David M. “Electric Avenue: How to Make Zero-Emissions Cars Go Mainstream.” Foreign Affairs, vol. 93, no. 3, 2014, pp. 21–26. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24483401.
Orski, C. Kenneth. “The Great Electric Car Debate.” The Urban Lawyer, vol. 30, no. 3, 1998, pp. 525–535. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27895127.
LeVine, Steve. “Battery Powered: The Promise of Energy Storage.” Foreign Affairs, vol. 94, no. 2, 2015, pp. 119–124. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24483489.
https://www.ergon.com.au/network/smarter-energy/electric-vehicles/benefits-of-electric-vehicles
LeVine, Steve. “THE GREAT BATTERY RACE.” Foreign Policy, no. 182, 2010, pp. 88–95. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/29764925.
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