In recent years, electric cars have become more and more popular. California has big plans to ban the sale of gasoline cars by 2035, according to Instagram account @impact. This means that 100% of cars being sold as new in the state would have zero carbon emissions. It is likely that this rule will be approved.
I am a huge advocate for protecting the environment and our earth. I recycle, I try to use reusable water bottles as often as possible, I carpool, I turn the water off as I brush my damn teeth. I understand that carbon emissions are off the charts in our world, and something does need to be done. But are electric cars really what’s best?
It’s Not Gas, Either
Even if the world decided that electric cars are not environmentally friendly and should not be used, gas cars aren’t anything to fight for either. Transportation, that is mainly gasoline based as of now, is in fact the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions. At 27%, it beats both electricity production (25%) and industry (24%). Within that transportation category, road vehicles account for 74.5% of the emissions. So, yes, gasoline vehicles are not exactly what we should be advocating for.
But what is? Honestly, I don’t know.
Gray Area
Like most things in life, electric cars fall into a gray area that’s a bit complicated. It is widely agreed upon experts that electric vehicles are better for the environment than the gasoline vehicles that have been so commonly used. But no one has exactly claimed that electric vehicles are as perfect as what some would think.
For one, electric vehicles charge off of electricity. Remember that electricity production percentage I mentioned earlier? So, the electricity a person is using to charge their electric car is likely coming from a plant that is already using fossil fuels to produce electricity. Producing electric cars also leads to higher emissions initially than the production of a typical gasoline car, however the electric car basically makes up for itself by being so energy efficient overtime. These high emissions from the electric side of things are mostly due to making the battery for the car.
An electric vehicle’s battery is also unlikely to be recycled as of today. The biggest problem is that the world has not yet figured out how to recycle the lithium-ion batteries that are used in electric vehicles. As you can probably imagine, this is a big issue. As more people start to purchase and drive electric cars, more batteries will be going bad or simply getting old. So what happens to the batteries? Supposedly, there are a few ways to recycle these batteries, but these ways have not yet been heavily researched and require very lengthy processes.
Um Affordability?
A major question to ask yourself is if you would even be able to afford this lifestyle by 2035. What if your state was doing what California is? No, citizens are not going to automatically be required to drive an electric car in 2035. However as time goes on, many people, including college students and young adults, will be finding it hard to purchase a gas powered vehicle. And even if a person wants an electric car, the costs might just not fit their budget.
On average, an electric vehicle costs more to purchase upfront than a gas vehicle. However, upkeep is usually cheaper because of a lack of oil changes, less spent on fuel and usually less maintenance in general. Insurance and repairs will likely cost more on an electric vehicle. Another factor to consider is that an electric car’s value will depreciate quicker. An at home charging station can cost $50,000. If insurance would for some reason not cover a battery replacement, it can cost upwards of $15,000, and I have personally heard some estimates close to $30,000.
All in all, if an electric car is affordable for you and fits your lifestyle, there’s no problem when it comes to money. And as these vehicles become more popular, costs will decrease as well. But that time is not right now, and it may not be in 13 years either.
EVs Are Not the Ultimate Solution
There is no doubt in my mind that with a lot more time, electric vehicles will be what is best for road transportation in the world. But is that time now? Is it 2035? I’m just not sold on that quite yet.
The government needs to realize that improving public transportation is a big factor in successfully lowering the carbon footprint in the world. Both electric and gas vehicles create emissions in one way or another. Talking about America specifically, the public transportation system is pretty terrible. Not only is it frustrating in the cities and suburbs, but you might as well forget about it all together in the countryside. And there’s a lot of countryside.
My biggest hope is that with time and government support, transportation emissions will decrease so that we can help our earth. And if part of the solution is electric vehicles, I will support that. However I would first like to see better recycling processes regarding batteries and better affordability for sure.