Can a car actually help save the planet?
Lets' flush the air then, and discuss a few different theories on the topic.
Just because electric vehicles dont have tailpipes doesnt mean they are perfectly clean.
Transportation related to the burning of fossil fuels accounts for 29 percent of the countrys greenhouse gas emissions.
How Green Is an EV in General?
Overall, EVs are pretty green.
It’s a little tricky to compare them to cars that burn fossil fuels but not impossible.
As the gas burns, that single gallon releases about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Thats nearly 6 tons of greenhouse gases just for one car every year!
In comparison, an EV technically produces no emissions itselfas its driven.
Its like comparing apples and bananas.
Okay, lets find some kind of common ground then.
For apples and bananas, nutritionists can compare calories.
For conventional vehicles and electric vehicles, experts compare energy content in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Bailey Mariner
For emissions, not strictly based on mpge, electric vehicles still shine nicely against gasoline vehicles.
Three key arguments give them their ammunition.
Rare earth metals are required to build batteries, electric motors, and the electronics to control it all.
Extracting cobalt, lithium, and neodymium is responsible for soil and water pollution.
The miners of those materials, which sometimes include children, often go without basic protections.
Responsible company policies are reducing the impact on man and planet day by day.
Electric vehicle manufacturing practices and end-of-life recycling issues is only making things worse.
As companies develop better manufacturing processes and recycling technology, however, recycling is becoming safer every day.
Some hybrid electric vehicles, too, could be a source of higher emissions for the same reasons.
Its not the norm, though.
Can Electric Vehicles Save the Planet?
Buying locally instead of ordering online reduces emissions related to shipping.
Take stock of your own actual transportation needs and learn all you could about EVs.
