Can Switching to Electric Vehicles Save Our Planet?
The market for electric and self-driving cars has been expanding quickly across the globe. You can see talk of this phenomenon all over the national news. People feel confident switching to electric vehicles since they feel like they are helping to save the planet. Is this true, and what are the benefits of switching to an electric car?
The Massive and Destructive Fuel Industry
Oil and natural gas are not renewable resources. This means that the planet will run out of it all one day, leaving the way we currently fuel our engines in the past. It is believed that the first oil pipeline in the U.S was installed in Pennsylvania in 1862. The market for fossil fuels has only grown since then, creating a massive industry that creates greenhouse gasses that negatively impact the entire planet.
You can view this climate change podcast or read various scientific articles to learn more about the destructive consequences of our dependence on oil and natural gas. From the destruction of ecosystems to air and water pollution, to global warming, our life on Earth is becoming more challenging due to this industry.
Not only is using fossil fuels bad for the environment, but it is also a lot more expensive. In 2018, the cost of fuel made up 24% of the average cost per mile for carrier vehicles. This is a cut that can be eliminated when switching vehicles to greener energy. The creation of electric cars does harm the environment in some way, but it has the same impact as the creation of fuel-powered vehicles. And, if the electric vehicle’s battery is charged with solar power, it is an even greener option.
The Benefits of Going Electric
For greener vehicles, electric cars are a better choice. With 17-30% lower carbon emissions than a traditional vehicle, those numbers will really start to add up. Just one electric car on the road saves an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide emissions from traditional fossil fuel-powered cars are really making a negative impact on the ozone and the environment. It is these carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases being put into the atmosphere that is the main cause of climate change around the globe.
Electric vehicles are a great way to help save the planet, but they are a long way from being all that effective. Right now, electric vehicles only made up .85% of the vehicles on the road. In order to avoid the worst of climate change, the United States alone needs to have 10 million electric vehicles on the road by the year 2025. This only makes up a little over 3% of the total cars in the United States, but getting to this number will be challenging, especially since electric vehicles are generally more expensive and costlier to repair than traditional fuel vehicles. The United States will have to do more work than just get consumers to replace their vehicles in order to save the planet from climate change.
Self Driving Cars and Road Safety
Auto accidents are nothing new. In 2012, more than 4,700 pedestrians were killed and 76,000 injured due to auto accidents on the road. The roads were not made for both cars and pedestrians, and it is easy for human error to occur and for innocent people to get hurt. It is common for people working in electric vehicles to also be working in automation. Take the auto and tech company Tesla for example. They strive to create electric cars as well as autonomous driving algorithms to make the roads safer. Artificial intelligence is constantly improving. Electric cars with these AI capabilities will make the world safer for humans in more ways than one.
