As emission rates rise, so does the production of electric vehicles (EV). However, many people question whether or not EV’s actually help the environment. Research shows that electric cars reduce emissions significantly more than gas powered cars. According to Gexa Energy, a company offering renewable energy to the Houston Metro Area, electric cars are considered superior to gas powered cars in many ways due to less emission production, a lower operating cost, and they require less maintenance.
Electric cars are often considered a crucial component to helping reduce climate change for many reasons. For one, electric vehicles have a battery rather than a gas-powered engine and do not have tailpipe emissions, allowing for reduction of emissions across the globe.
In addition, electric cars are far more efficient at converting battery power to actual power, compared to gas cars. According to Recharged, a company that specializes in electric cars, electric cars are about 75-80% efficient, and gas cars are only about 25%. This means that gas cars release a lot of heat from their engines also contributing to climate change because of their low efficiency. They use regenerative braking to recapture the lost energy during deceleration, making their power source, a lot more efficient, and helpful to the environment.
Over time, these cars include many clean energy sources, such as solar power, wind, and hydropower making them a clean mode of transportation. Vital Signs said that the helpfulness for EVs is still great because a medium-sized EV produces 60-68% fewer greenhouse gas emissions in its lifetime than a gas-powered car.
Due to their electric power, they are a lot quieter than traditional gas powered cars, helping reduce numerous health problems such as migraines, anxiety, and hearing loss. Although electric cars are generally more expensive than gas powered vehicles, they have less operation costs and are cheaper to maintain. Owners of electric vehicles pay less for charging their battery, and receive tax incentives from the government, specifically the IRS. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, taxpayers who purchase an eligible vehicle may qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500.
Despite the multitude of benefits, the process of making EV’s isn’t as clean. One source of emissions coming from electric cars is the production and manufacturing of their lithium-ion batteries. Climate Portal said that the use of minerals needed to make the battery requires fossil fuels to mine and to heat them to high temperatures. As a result, building a battery for the Tesla Model 3 produces around 2.5 – 16 metric tons of CO2. Although most of the emissions are from the production of the car, there still is carbon dioxide being produced from the charging of the car. Nevertheless, battery production is becoming greener through the use of renewable energy sources, the recycling of the battery, and the use of less natural materials such as cobalt and lithium.
Despite having amounts of CO2 produced from battery manufacturing, EV’s are still efficient, and effective at reducing emissions globally. Once gas-powered cars start to fade out of the market, only then could we possibly help the environment by using electric cars and create a cleaner Earth.