EVs In Our Cities: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Electric vehicles have the power to greatly enhance city life, but today’s popular electric SUVs will only make things worse.
Electric cars are highly visible symbols of environmental responsibility, proudly flaunted by individuals, companies, and governments alike. Sadly, the truth is that they offer no real climate benefits, will remain unsustainable for decades to come, and introduce serious new environmental concerns from critical mineral mining and processing.
But still, electric car greenwashing is very easy to pull off and will probably continue unabated for years to come. As a result, we’ll see many more large and flashy “planet-saving” electric cars in our cities as the 2020s play out.
It’s not all bad, though. There are several electric vehicles that can greatly benefit our cities (and the environment). These represent “the good” in the title of this post. Unfortunately, the types of cars driving all the EV hype fall squarely in “the bad” category, and their long-term effects can be downright ugly.
The Good
In small-scale applications, battery electric drive wipes the floor with the internal combustion engine. EVs in this segment have the potential to make our…
