The United States burns about a quarter of the world’s oil, half of which the gasoline powered automobile is responsible for (Lovins, 2004). For this reason, efficient, electrical forms of transportation are one of the key factors to limiting America’s oil dependence. Dating back to the late nineteenth century, the idea of the electric car is nothing new, however, in just recent years it has finally made significant progress. Innovations have enabled the electric vehicle to be portable and more attractive in recent years causing more people to make the switch from gas to electric. The transition from gasoline cars to electric vehicles projects significant breakthroughs for American energy including low dependence on oil and a cleaner future. Automobile pollution increases global warming and causes severe damage to environmental and public health. Carbon dioxide emissions from automobile engines are the leading cause of global warming (Ridlington & Madsen, 2014). Temperatures across the country are experiencing a significant increase causing ice to melt and a rise in sea level. This results in frequent coastal flooding that consequently comes with devastating outcomes such as high …show more content…
These policies include the addition of installing charging infrastructure in standardized requirements at the workplace and all public areas. Public services such as buses, garbage trucks and postal trucks should be encouraged to switch to electrical transportation. Feebates designed to encourage the use of electric vehicles offer car buyers an incentive to purchase cars based on the level of fuel efficiency (Romm et al., 1992). By implementing feebates, the number of efficient clean cars on the road will increase. As Romm and Lovins stated in 1992, “Emerging policy innovations could speed the introduction of superefficient
“We can break our dependence on oil…and become the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015,” President Obama said in his January 2011 State of the Union address (Institute for Energy Research 1). While this may sound promising, the practicality and merit in achieving this goal remains unclear. Auto manufacturers have been working on plans for electric cars for years, especially the three largest companies in the US: Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Ford. These companies have been hoping that the development of electric cars would create a sort of lifestyle change for consumers, both weaning the U.S. off of its dependence on foreign oil and breathing life into the market for auto sales at the same time. Electric cars are often sold as zero emissions, but technically that is only true once they are charged and in terms of their tailpipe emissions. After all, they have to get their energy from somewhere and, more often than not, the electricity used for charging is supplied by traditional coal fired power plants. The real question then is whether the source and amount of energy required to build and supply an electric car with power is actually cleaner and more economical than a traditional combustion automobile. As it turns out, the answer is both unexpected and fairly complicated. In order to assess whether the use of
The electric car, once the “zero-emissions” darling of environmentalists, is sometimes maligned as an “emissions-elsewhere” vehicle, since the electricity to charge its batteries must be generated in electrical generation plants that produce emissions. This is a reasonable point, but we must then ask how much pollution an electric car produces per mile – accounting for all emissions, starting from the gas or oil well where the source fuel is extracted, all the way to the final consumption of electricity by the car’s motor. When we work through the numbers, we find that the electric car is significantly more efficient
The first successful electric car made its appearance to the world over one hundred years ago, around 1890 thanks to William Morrison, a chemist who lived in Des Moines, Iowa. His six-passenger vehicle capable of a top speed of 14 miles per hour was little more than an electrified wagon, but it helped spark interest in electric vehicles. (Matulka, 2012) Although their advantages were soon overshadowed by gasoline driven automobiles, they slowly made a return in 2008 thanks to common consumer, Tesla Motors. The electric cars grew and quickly gained popularity due to its energy efficient nature and comparatively lower cost. In addition to the energy efficiency and lower costs, electric vehicles are ecosystem friendly, smoothly driven, quiet, and quick, no tailpipe emissions and last but not least, the electric
The world produces around 85 million barrels of oil each day. About a quarter of that percentage goes to the United States of America, which is used up mostly by means of transportations. Most people get around from place to place using a car, a car that is powered by fuel. Everywhere one goes driving, they will eventually run into a gas station but not a charging station for electric cars. Regular cars, burn off fuel that produce emissions (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur) that pollute and harm the environment. Although, there are some positives about switching there are also some problems that could appear but could be fixed. Electric cars have the potential to reduce the amount of pollution in the environment, boost the national economy and help
One of the biggest impact of car emissions is causing global warming rapidly and it will have a negative influence in Seattle. The gases of cars emit are usually nitrous oxide and methane, but the major part of the exhaust is carbon dioxide. In the figure below, it shows the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2015 by sector. From the data, we can clearly see that the carbon dioxide occupies around 80% of the total Greenhouse Gas. Since the climate change mainly causes by Greenhouse Gas, if we emit
“1 gallon of gas =24 pounds of global warming emissions” (UCSUSA). Many of the people in our world today don’t understand just how much The Automobile affects us, our lives, and the world we live in. Undoubtedly, the invention of the car has changed our perspective on the different technology created over the past years. However, cars are some of the leading factors towards one of the largest ongoing problems occurring in our world today. That problem goes by the name of global warming. “Since 1990, Transportation has been one of the fastest growing sources of U.S. GHG” (U.S.D.T), otherwise known as Greenhouse gasses. In which most of us know; global warming affects our health, environment, weather, and ultimately our lives. It is a
Imagine never being locked out of your disgusting gas-guzzling vehicle in sub-zero temperatures pumping your car full of toxic chemicals and then later emptying your bank account to pay for the environment killer ever again. This reality is near and approaching faster than ever before. Although, it is not completely beneficial. It is evident that at an international level, electric cars are needed. But, this is only one side of the story, despite common belief, electric vehicles are not always good for the environment. It is true that they will benefit bank accounts, however, the only way for electric cars to improve the environment is if they are powered by clean renewable energy.
and a significant contributor to the strength of the US dollar. Although the auto industry did not
Abstract—In this modern era, many advancements in technology have been witnessed. Research and data collected around the world have allowed for these advancements to take place. This has allowed for a better understanding of the footprint humans leave on the environment. As a result, this has allowed for the planet to become eco-friendlier. An eco-friendly advancement in the 21st century is the electric vehicle. There are a plethora of benefits using electric vehicles. Some advantages include no emissions, cost-effective, and low maintenance.
The main environmental challenge facing the auto industry is emissions of green house gases. Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas. It is both odorless and colorless. It is created from burning fuels. As a car runs the internal combustion of the engine produces emissions in the form of carbon monoxide that is then released into the air from the exhaust of the car. This gas can cause death when it is concentrated in confined areas. The auto industry is responsible for the production of millions of vehicles that release emissions into the air. Another byproduct of car manufacturing is the refining of oil to produce gas to run the cars. These refineries produce multiple gases that are released in our air. With the release of so much pollution into the air
Electric powered vehicles are approximately 90 percent more efficient than those using fossil fuels, which is the primary reason that it is nearly always cheaper to drive a mile using electricity as a fuel rather than gasoline . One challenge concerning electric powered vehicles is that the batteries are both heavy and expensive. As technology and adaptation progress, however, it is anticipated that AA that are fully or partially powered by electricity would be able to travel the same range using batteries that are smaller, and thus, cheaper. As a result of the improved drive cycles and decreased traffic congestion, the use of electric powered AA would further allow for using smaller and lighter batteries. This would reduce the overall cost for consumers, and hasten the adoption of conventionally sized electrified vehicles. Smaller batteries would also reduce life-cycle environmental impacts from producing electric vehicle batteries, as well as reduce their environmental impacts at the end of their useful life. Electric vehicles charged by low-carbon electricity have the potential to dramatically lower the level of GHG emissions, oil use, and conventional air pollutants. Moreover, AA can be programmed to drive in a way that is fuel efficient so that by programming travel speeds, accelerations, and even mapping out optimal travel routes AA can be programmed to reduce power consumption.
Did you know that by 2020 all gas stations will have been replaced by electric charge stations, this is thanks to electric cars taking the world by storm. So why are electric cars so popular? Aside from the obvious environmental benefit, EV’s are much safer due to their higher crash and battery safety standards. There are also many financial benefits including federal and local tax credits, as well as environmentally sustainable manufacturing practices. Electric cars are still a relatively new concept and do have their flaws, however, Electric car are in many ways superior to petroleum cars with significantly improved efficiency, exceptional safety rating, and
Global warming is caused when the pollutants that are being released into the air trap the heat from the sun, acting as a blanket, and cause the Earth to warm. It is worsening the types of disasters that appear on our planet, and experts suggest that these conditions will continue to become more extreme. There were around 150 glaciers in Glacier National Park over a hundred years ago, and today there are fewer than 30. Vehicles in the United States has caused about one third of the air pollution that we produce. The toxins emitted by these vehicles are also breathed in by people walking on the streets because of where the tailpipe is. These toxins get into our lungs and other parts of our bodies, and can lead to cancers and other diseases. Prolonged exposure to the plastics that we breathe in from the dashboard, seats, and especially a/c can lead to leukemia.
Vehicles are a major cause of global warming. Cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. These emissions can lead to an increase in temperatures, severe floodings, and rising seas due to melting ice. Electric vehicles can produce zero emissions when the electricity comes from renewable sources, which may not completely stop pollution but definitely slow it down. This source is reliable
Due to the recent surge of electric cars in the automobile industry, the discussion between