What’s the deal with electric vehicles? They’re vehicles that can be plugged in to reduce the amount of emissions that are released in the atmosphere. When comparing electric vehicles to regular ones, it is shown that a regular gasoline powered car releases up to 20 pounds of carbon dioxide for each gallon that is burned, and the newer electric and/or hybrid cars reduce the amount of gasses that are emitted into the atmosphere. In an article entitled “Shifting Gears: Number of Plug-in EVs Sold in the U.S.” on Climate Central, it states that “…From 2011 to 2016, the number of plug-in vehicles sold each year in the U.S increased by a factor of eight.” (www.climmatecentral.org) That increase shows that more people are buying electric cars, and that is because they travel farther without stopping for gas and charge up really quickly. In addition to being able to charge up fast, the amount of fast charging stations located in the U.S are tripling, with 5,300 being installed already. However, at the end of 2016, it was recorded that China had 17 times more fast chargers than the United States. Therefore, one can infer that the use of electric cars will continue to rise in the foreseeable future.
How about gasoline powered cars? The use of gasoline-based cars allows for people to travel from place to place in a decent amount of time without having to take public transportation… if there is any. In the U.S., gasoline is used by cars, trucks, trains, planes, and ships, and it accounts for nearly 30 percent of all U.S. global emissions. In the article Car Emissions and Global Warming, by the Union of Concerned Scientists, it states “…Global warming endangers our health, jeopardizes our national security, and threatens other basic human needs. Some impacts—such as record high temperatures, rising seas, and severe flooding and droughts – are already increasingly common.”
https://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/transportation-is-the-biggest-source-of-us-emissions
In addition to the other factors that already contribute to global warming, the use of gasoline in cars is compiling the amount of greenhouse gases that are in the atmosphere. The article Car Emissions and Global Warming also states that “…The use of 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.” Now think of that proportion: a 24:1 pound to gallon ratio is very bad when talking about one car, so imagine the millions of cars that are used every day to get to and from their destinations.
How are electric cars viewed in the future? Let’s imagine if cars powered by gasoline were a thing of the past and everything was electric. It would decrease the carbon footprint by a decent amount. Additionally, with the thought of everyone in the US having an electric car, it would allow less people to stop for gas and consume less time for the cars to be fully charged. In the article What If All Cars Were Electric, it states “…Electric cars are 4 times more efficient than gas-powered vehicles. That means if everyone in the U.S. made the switch, the country’s CO2 emissions would immediately drop by 8.4%.” Now all things considered, 8.4% is a really good amount, and even though the demand for electric cars would rise, the country could still find new ways for renewable energy to decrease the amount of carbon emissions that are released in the atmosphere. This would increase the jobs present in the green energy department and allow for people to also find ways to use cleaner energy sources. Therefore, by making every car that is available to the public electric, it would decrease the carbon footprint, decrease gas usage (saving people money), and increase the job flow.
References
https://insh.world/tech/what-if-all-cars-were-electric/
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/car-emissions-global-warming
https://www.energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/reducing-pollution-electric-vehicles
https://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/transportation-is-the-biggest-source-of-us-emissions
