Tag Archives: Electric cars

Never Pay for Gas Again

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One engine for carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere has to be the driving of cars to various locations. With millions of people needing to drive to work or other activities this leaves the atmosphere and our planet earth taking the hit. It is determined that every gallon of gasoline burned creates about 8,887 grams of carbon dioxide. Now think about how many cars are on the road and how many people go through gallons of gasoline everyday, week, month, and year. The typical car releases 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year and this is an extreme amount. If we can reduce the amount of vehicles on the road this problem can be solved. One way to solve this is to turn to electric vehicles. Many high end brands such as Tesla and Audi have developed electric cars but those certainly are not affordable for millions of people in America. Recently cheaper, more affordable car companies are producing electric cars such as Toyota and Nissan. If Americans can become aware of the environment and the emissions of Carbon Dioxide they could be interested in investing in an electric car. Not to mention the extremely expensive gas prices all throughout the U.S., whereas electric cars require no gas. For those that do not have interest in electric cars, there are several other options to protect this earth such as carpooling, trains, and biking. Not every single American will listen to these suggestions, but little at a time I hope America can transform into an electric car dominated country.

 

References:

https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle

The Dangers of Commuting to Work

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Commuting to work is something that many Americans dread. Depending on the person’s location or job, their commute can be very long or it can be full of rush hour traffic to and from the office. Commuting is not just frustrating, it is also very detrimental to our environment. The average one way commute to work in the United States in 2019 was 28 minutes one way, making a round trip to work a 56 minute hour total commute. This is almost an hour of commuting daily. Almost 3% of Americans walked to work in 2019 and less than 1% rode bikes to work in 2019.  This means that the majority of Americans use vehicles to get to work. Cars release emissions that put fossil fuels into the atmosphere, which is harmful to the planet. Cars and trucks account for nearly one fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide (and other harmful greenhouse gases) per gallon of gas. There are easy ways to decrease our carbon footprint and negative impact on the environment including carpooling, walking to work or biking to work. Additionally, electronic cars are an excellent way to still commute far distances but at much less of an environmentally damaging cost. Electric cars are an excellent, safe alternative to cars that use gas. There are so many easy ways to reduce our carbon footprint and we can start with altering how we commute daily.

citations: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/car-emissions-global-warming#:~:text=Our%20personal%20vehicles%20are%20a,for%20every%20gallon%20of%20gas.

https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/earth-day-ff.pdf

Electric Mobility

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Electric cars are new and interesting with technology that has never been seen before. In our lifetimes, we have seen the rise of electric cars as well as the adoption of many motor companies producing hybrid cars. Even our college has electric car charging stations. The use of electric cars has been gradual and patient over time. With the current price of gasoline, many individuals are considering alternate modes of transportation that are more eco-friendly than traditional gas cars. In 2012 there were only 130,000 electric cars sold worldwide. While this is a number larger than I expected for that year, this number is nowhere near what it is modern-day. In 2019, comparatively, 2.2 million electric cars were sold. This represented 2.5% of global car sales. In 2020, the number of electric car rose to three million and represented 4.1% of total car sales. This trend continues with 6.6 million electric cars being sold in 2021 accounting for 9% of the global car market. The change from 2012 to 2021 is a staggering 4976% change. The global adoption of alternative fuel sources is leading to new technologies for human transportation. Those numbers alone from 2012 to 2021 show how popular and promising electric vehicles can continue to be moving into the future. Some food fo thought is although we are moving in a cleaner car direction… if 6.6 million electric cars were sold last year, how much carbon emissions were emitted in the production of so many cars? (Although these cars are better for the environment and reduce an individual’s carbon footprint, it is inevitable for carbon emissions to be attached to the production and transportation of electric vehicles before they are purchased and driven off the lot). It has been estimated that there are now around 16,000,000 electric cars on the road worldwide, but while electric car’s are being consumed at a higher rate, this is being offset by a parallel increase in the sale of SUV’s. It will be interesting to see what the automotive industries do in the coming years and how the auto-market will react and balance. Stay tuned.

Sources:
https://www.iea.org/commentaries/electric-cars-fend-off-supply-challenges-to-more-than-double-global-sales

Greenhouse Gases and our Sustainability Efforts

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Greenhouse gases contribute to many dangers in sustainability efforts and these greenhouse gases have been closely monitored by the EPA, with the government organization monitoring the rises and sinks of greenhouse gas emissions and the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.  I believe that sustainability efforts should first and foremost look to reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions that we are placing into the world.  The US emissions totaled 5,222 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents in 2020.  This is an 11% decrease from 2019 with the total change from 2019 to 2020 decreasing from 5796.42 million metric tons to 5222 metric tons.  This resulted in a 574.42 million metric ton decrease in CO2 emissions.  This was largely due to the pandemic  as well as the continued search for more renewable and sustainable forms of energy.

One interesting topic I found regarding sustainability GHG emissions, especially CO2 emissions is electric cars.  While electric cars are better for the environment, the deciding factor on the sustainability is how much is required to produce these electric cars.  An all electric Chevrolet Bolt produces 189 grams of CO2 for every mile, as opposed to a gas fueled Toyota which produces 385 grams of CO2 per mile.  However the challenge comes in the production of electric cars and the energy grid.  It is important to understand that just because a car is electric might not mean it is as sustainable as it seems.  This issue concerning electric cars relates back to my main point earlier about greenhouse gas emissions.  We as people need to look to find the best possible solutions to decrease the harm we are doing to our planet.

 

Works Cited:

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#colorbox-hidden

https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/electric-vehicles-environment.html

 

 

Are they worth it? Electric cars and individual carbon emissions

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Globally the temperature of the earth is increasing, these rising temperatures have been mainly caused by the emissions of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Changes need to be made both on a government and individual level to hinder the effects of climate change. More than 30% of carbon emissions come from transportation via, car, bus, and airplane one of the best ways that an individual can combat this is to purchase an electric car (EPA, 2021). The New York State Energy Research and Development Agency has out a free estimation survey, where one can put in the type of electric car and it will give you the cost and benefits of purchasing the car. When looking at an average 30,000 dollar electric car in Central New York, within the first year one would save $966 this was found by calculating the cost of gasoline ($1,243) that you would save minus the increase in your electric bill which would be around $277 to charge your car. In New York, you also get a minimum of 8,500 dollars in incentives which includes a $7,500 Plug-in vehicle federal tax credit plus a $1,000 with the Drive Clean Rebate. When looking at the cost and benefits in the future, within the first 5 years it shows that an electric car would save up to $7,867 and you would break even with the cost of the car within two years. Along with having long-term financial benefits owning an electric car reduces an individual carbon footprint by 58% per year which is equivalent to 5,977 lb of CO2. This survey is a great day to find a car that fits your budget and lifestyle while also helping you lower your carbon footprint. Cost benefits analysts are an important factor when it comes to the effectiveness of environmental action.

Survey: https://nyserda.wattplan.com/ev/

 

Work Cited:

EPA (2021) Carbon Pollution from Transportation

https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/carbon-pollution-transportation

NYSERDA (n.d) Watt Plan, Access on 4/3

https://nyserda.wattplan.com/ev/Results