Is it true that Electric Vehicles are better for the Environment?
As energy prices rise and states such as California and New York approach regulations requiring the sale of zero-emissions automobiles by 2035, you may be asking if electric vehicles are actually superior. Everything you need to know is as follows:
Is it true that electric vehicles are better for the environment?
The simple answer is yes... However, several factors come into play.
Electric cars (EVs) create fewer pollutants than gas vehicles since they do not have a tailpipe; however, an EV's carbon footprint can still vary depending on where the electricity used to power the vehicle originates from. It is vital to remember that, like gasoline, power is mostly derived from fossil fuels, despite efforts to reverse that. According to the Energy Information Administration, as of February 2022, over 60% of energy generation in the United States came from fossil fuels, including coal and natural gas, with just over 20% coming from renewables (EIA).
According to The New York Times, the average U.S. power system often draws electricity from a variety of sources, including both fossil fuels and renewables, implying that EVs nearly always have a lighter carbon footprint than their gas-powered equivalents. However, the proportion of energy derived from each source differs by geography. As one engineering expert told the Times, charging an electric car near coal plants (causing those plants to burn more) might potentially result in greater air pollution than driving a gas-powered vehicle.
EVs are also "more emissions-intensive to manufacture" (because to their batteries), but their engines are more efficient overall, according to the Times. According to Newsweek, one research indicated that EVs had 60 to 80 percent fewer lifetime emissions than gas automobiles in the United States.
Are electric vehicles more cost-effective?
Inflationary pressures throughout the world have driven up gas and electricity costs to levels not seen in years. Even as gas costs continue to level out, many people are still feeling the pinch from their electrical bill, according to NPR. The primary cause of the price increase is an increase in the cost of natural gas, which accounts for around 40% of America's electrical generation. Prices have jumped 15.8 percent in the last year, owing mostly to increasing demand following global heatwaves and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia is a significant natural gas exporter, particularly to Europe, which is currently undergoing an energy crisis.
California not only has high energy consumption, but it also has some of the highest energy prices in the country. The state endured record-high temperatures this summer, straining electrical networks and causing wildfires and outages. California was compelled to prolong the life of some of its natural gas plants in order to keep the lights and air conditioning on, hampered by its aggressive climate targets, according to Politico.
During this period, California also encouraged plug-in vehicle owners to limit how often they charged their vehicles in order to save electricity. (Despite this, California moved to approve a moratorium on new gas car sales beginning in 2035, a step that New York also embraced.)
Climate change has had an influence on EV usage in other states as well. In July, for example, Tesla advised Texas citizens not to charge their vehicles during peak hours in order to deal with a terrible heatwave. Last year, the state also faced significant power grid outages as a result of record-low temperatures that froze its natural gas infrastructure.
Despite such power grid issues, research has shown that it is virtually always cheaper to purchase an EV than a gas car, owing to the fact that EV engines are more efficient than internal-combustion engines. Simply said, driving an electric car uses less energy. Furthermore, even in places with the highest power costs in the country, such as Massachusetts and California, the cost of an EV is still lower, according to CNBC.
So, in general, are EVs a better option?
According to Newsweek, research has showed that completely electric vehicles tend to lower carbon emissions for city drivers while increasing carbon emissions for highway drivers in rural areas. Hybrid cars are a better alternative for long-distance travel since they can extend the time between plugging in and/or filling up the car's tank. It is preferable to avoid entirely gas cars, which still have the largest average carbon footprint.
While EVs outperform gas vehicles in terms of both environmental and economic performance, climate change will have a severe influence on both types of vehicles. The globe is presently trapped in a feedback loop in which the more energy is used, the worse climate change becomes... As a result, more fossil fuels are used, emissions rise, and climate change worsens.
In actuality, the greatest alternative is to abandon fossil fuels entirely — or, better yet, to invest in public transportation and walkable cities. EVs would be significantly cleaner if they used more renewable energy, the cost of which has continued to decline over the previous two years and has even fallen below the cheapest fossil fuel sources in some cases.
Ideally, protocols should be in place that allow inhabitants in all locations — urban and rural — to surrender their keys. Building walkable communities, where everything is within walking distance, for example, would help cut emissions, promote better health, build a feeling of community, and boost local businesses. A well-functioning public transportation system would also reduce the number of automobiles on the road, lowering total energy and emissions expended. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act allocates $108 billion to federal public transportation initiatives.
Finally, the question of whether to buy an EV obscures the main issue: how can we make transportation more inexpensive and environmentally benign in general?
#ElectricVehicle #Tesla #EV #California #NewYork #CarbonFootprint #CarbonEmission
SOURCE: yahoo news
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