Electric Cars : The Future Locomotive?
A Brief History of Electric Cars
Electric cars are not a new thing. They have been around for a long time, as far back as the 1800s. The first electric vehicle made its debut around 1889, William Morrison created the first successful electric vehicle in the U.S. The electric vehicle became popular until it’s decline in the 1920s. This was mostly caused by the cheap Texas crude oil in which gas vehicles became dominant on the road. It wasn’t until Toyota became the first automobile company to successfully mass-produce a hybrid electric automobile.
The Problem with Electric Vehicles
With the imminent situation of climate change and global warming, it seems as if the use of electric cars over gas guzzlers could be a huge contribution in tackling this problem. So why isn’t everyone using electric cars already? Why can electric cars replace gas cars? Well there are a lot of problems that prevent this from happening. One of them is resources. Lithium is one of the main components of electric vehicle batteries and some reports and studies feel that there won’t be enough of it to produce a huge amount of electric car batteries. And not only that, electric car batteries need rare earth materials and ‘Rare Earth’ mining can open up a new can of worms.
Another problem would be the battery disposal, instead of helping the environment the disposal of the batteries could make the environment worse with its toxic waste. For now, electric car batteries are not recyclable and pose a huge threat to pollution.
Why aren’t people interested in purchasing an Electric Car?
Well for one, it’s pretty expensive. They’re sold at a higher price than gas cars and it’s not something everyone can afford. The second one is battery life, these cars are pretty much useless for long drives or road trips. Electric cars can only run about 200–300 miles (322–483 km) in a single charge and even less with the air conditioner and heater on. According to the Washington Post Tesla’s long-range Model S promises to drive roughly 370 miles (595 kilometers) in a day without stopping for charge.
Additionally, it’s very time consuming to charge an electric car, requiring almost 8 hours (depending on the size of the battery and the charging point speed). People find it more convenient and time saving to drive up to a gas station and fill up the tank.
How Electric Vehicles Help the Environment
But despite all of that, the pros of owning an electric vehicle heavily outweighs its cons. Electric cars emit no greenhouse gases and also have a lower carbon footprint. This could assist in clearing air pollution and slow down climate change. They’re also better for our health and we won’t have to inhale any toxic gases in the streets.
Electric cars aren’t 100% green, but with the pacing advancement of technology, there’s no doubt that one day that can be achieved. Scientists and engineers are working hard to make these vehicle electric cars more eco-friendly with a more sustainable battery.
The Future of Electric Cars
Today, a lot of people own electric vehicles, and that number continues to grow every day. Many automobile companies, such as Chevrolet, Nissan, and BMW are on the rise to produce their own version of electric cars. Tesla has some serious competition to deal with. It won’t be long until the streets are rid of gas guzzles and everyone is using electric cars.
Reference :
Author, S. (2020). Investopedia stock analysis — valueclick: Can electric cars replace gas guzzlers?. Chatham: Newstex. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/2355475460?accountid=17242
Prem, C. W. (2019). Pros and cons of electric cars: Should all cars be electric?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/01/10/tesla-battery-range/
https://pod-point.com/guides/driver/how-long-to-charge-an-electric-car
https://evcharging.enelx.com/news/blog/492-top-electric-cars
