The Pros And Cons Of Electric Vehicles

Register to read the introduction… John Voelcker states that as vehicles get more fuel-efficient, the energy required to make them and their thousands of parts is coming to represent a higher proportion of their lifetime energy footprint (1). This suggests that the more we depend on gas-powered cars, we are just wasting more and more energy to make gas. A recent study by Volkswagen states that a Golf hatchback has a 77-kilowatt turbodiesel four-cylinder engine. They estimate that 68 percent of the car’s lifetime carbon footprint is due to the diesel fuel it burns, with another 9 percent for the extraction, refining, and transportation of that fuel. Electric vehicles have lower lifetime carbon footprints than most gasoline and diesel fueled vehicles because they convert 80 percent or more of the electricity used to charge them into forward motion against 25 to 40 percent for gas-powered vehicles. This means that electric vehicles use far less energy to move around which lowers their carbon footprint. Brad Plumer believes that it takes a lot of electricity to make gas (1). This means that gas-powered vehicles use more energy than electric vehicles. With extraction, refining, and shipping, it would take about 8 kilowatt hours (kwh) per gallon to make gas. If that’s the case then a gas-powered vehicle that gets 22 miles per gallon would use about 40 kwh of electricity to go 100 miles. For an electric vehicle you would only use about 30 kwh of electricity to go the same distance. So a vehicle powered by gas does not need to be charged constantly but when it comes to making the gas and everything that goes along with it, it uses a lot more energy to make the gas, give it to consumers, and run the vehicle. Electric vehicles don’t need any of that so actually, they use less electricity. The U.S. Department of Energy writes that the less usage of gas vehicles will save energy (parag. 3). This means that if we used electric vehicles more …show more content…
Zachary Shahan states that all electric vehicles typically produce lower emissions than gas-powered vehicles do (parag. 2 & 3). This means that they are better for the environment when compared to gas-powered vehicles. For years electric vehicle critics have claimed that electric vehicles do not reduce carbon dioxide or other emissions until now. No matter where someone lives, driving an electric vehicle will always be cleaner than driving a gas-powered car. Not only would it reduce global warming emissions but it would save money too, which is a plus. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin believes that electric vehicles are better for the environment and have recyclable parts (parag. 10, 11, 12). This suggests that their parts are more recyclable than part from a gas-powered engine. Internal combustion engine vehicles use lead-acid batteries, and their recycle rate is about 98 percent in the US. The newer batteries for electric vehicles, such as those made of lithium-ion, include even more valuable and recyclable metals and will have uses well beyond when the vehicle is done with it. Also, Nissan unveiled a $100 per month battery replacement program. This means that there will be a market for newer batteries just like there is for current ones so there isn’t a big hassle for when you do need a replacement battery. Ozzie Zehner believes that electric vehicles reduce carbon dioxide emissions (parag. 10). This means that having less gas-powered vehicles that evaporate gas would greatly decrease the carbon dioxide emissions is the US. In 2012, the Union of Concerned Scientists reported that charging electric vehicles yields less Carbon Dioxide than even the most efficient gasoline vehicles. The editor of the report concluded that the US is at a good point to clean up the grid and switch to electric vehicles. It is most definitely emphasized that electric vehicles are a wise choice and are healthy for the