The difference between “regular”, also known as thermal cars, and electric cars is in the way they transform energy: thermal cars release stored energy through a chemical process, versus electric cars release it electrochemically without combustion.
No fuel is burned in electric vehicles because they operate on lithium-ion batteries, and as a result there is no air pollution. However, that does not mean electric vehicles are totally greener.
For one, the large batteries in electric cars are made from rare earth elements that depend on pollution-promoting mining processes.
The key to being “green” lies in the energy source: Where is the electricity that charges the cars coming from? In the US, fossil fuels account for about 63% of the country’s energy production as of 2017. This means that because fossil fuels make up a large amount of energy sources, more of the electricity needed to charge cars comes from those limited energy sources.
The process of making a car needs raw materials that are very similar in both thermal and electric cars. What is interesting is that according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, electric cars actually produce more carbon emission during the manufacturing process.
Electric cars are better for the environment in that they emit fewer greenhouse gases than petroleum or diesel cars. However, they cannot be considered “zero emission” because they do emit harmful gases during manufacturing processes, energy sources, as well as improper disposal of batteries and other parts when the car ends its functional life. This article goes more into detail about this topic:https://youmatter.world/en/are-electric-cars-eco-friendly-and-zero-emission-vehicles-26440/.
Although not always a practical solution, public transportation is proven to be a better alternative to personal vehicles in order to reduce a carbon footprint.
Some ways to reduce the overall impact of electric cars is by reconsidering the primary energy sources for electricity as well as brainstorming ways to safely recycle car batteries. The way batteries are disposed of now is very unsustainable, and more information can be found in this article:https://www.ocregister.com/2022/01/27/what-happens-when-millions-of-electric-car-batteries-get-old/.
In addition, overall increased investment into public transportation in urban and suburban regions in the United States would allow more people to use a shared mode of transportation and therefore reduce personal footprints.
From a consumer perspective, there are many pros to buying an electric vehicle. In the US, electric cars are generally viewed with a positive, optimistic lens and many people hold the belief that electric cars such as companies like Tesla are the future of the automobile industry. There can also be some downsides to owning an maintaining an electric car. This article goes into detail about the pros and cons of electric cars: https://www.bumper.com/car-advice/electric-cars-pros-cons/
This was really interesting! I did a project in EDSGN for designing a carbon free train and was shocked by some of the research I did. A lot of companies use clean energy as an advertisement scam. For example, Pepsi claims they are carbon zero, but they can only claim this because they plant enough trees to cancel what they produce in carbon. As someone majoring in chemical en, energy is huge to my career. I think electric cars are a good start to being carbon free, but people do not do enough research into it. Lithium batteries cannot decompose into a biodegradable source, so it is simply just buried. Lithium is equally bad as carbon, but this is not talked about enough. Good job!
Oftentimes it seems as though electric cars are thought of as inherently better for the environment, but I think that your post did a great job of deconstructing that idea and showing that the line between more traditional thermal cars and electric cars is not as clear-cut as one might think. In particular, it was interesting to hear about the problems with the manufacturing process and the issues associated with the cars’ batteries. I also previously read about some of the dangers that come with lithium ion battery fires in electric cars, which could be another potential roadblock in the way of these vehicles being more widely accepted. This also reminded me of some of the topics you bring up in previous posts, such as the idea of companies labeling their product as environmentally friendly to attract a wider range of consumers, in spite of them still contributing to environmental issues. Nice job!
Hi Su. I remember reading up on electric cars in the past as well when my family was considering purchasing one! Often times, I hear that the processes that are involved in making “greener” technology not only costs more economically as a financial investment, but it can also generate substances that are capable of harming the environment, thus playing a counteractive role against the true purpose of making the new technology in the first place entirely. Thanks for touching on this little known tidbit about the manufacturing and use of electric cars. Looking forward to the next post.