Electric Cars – Vehicles That Care for the Next Generation

The future is bright for brands such as Jaguar and BMW because electric vehicles are much cheaper to sustain than gasoline fueled vehicles. The option for consumers to purchase luxury vehicles is one of many reasons why people are switching to electric powered vehicles.

Many people do not know the effects of greenhouse gases on Earth. The greenhouse effect is when heat is trapped close to the surface of the Earth by “greenhouse gases.” “Climate change is widely acknowledged to be the most important environmental problem facing humankind. Because the atmosphere knows no boundaries and the world’s economies are linked through trade and capital flows, international cooperation to curb greenhouse gases is essential.” The main gases in the atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Greenhouse gases can be considered as a blanket around Earth. “Every time we burn fossil fuels, chemistry dictates that CO2 is released as a waste product.” It is important to understand that the level of carbon dioxide consistently rises and is causing temperatures to rise. In an article from NASA, “Warmer oceans are the result of rising temperatures and carbon dioxide levels. The ocean contains up to 93 percent of heath from human-induced global warming, and the year 2017 was the global ocean’s warmest year ever measured.”

People measured greenhouse gases and temperature levels were in the past by “using trees and studying the growth rings to understand each growing season and its temperature, moisture and cloudiness.” Climate change is the effects of human activity and mass production of carbon emission. Some scientists believe that it is too late to prevent climate change. The idea is to create a carbon-neutral world by not completely eliminating it. Merely correcting carbon levels today will not positively change the climate for another few more decades. Electricity is in high demand, especially in warmer regions that require air conditioning. To lower the demand of electricity, people must find alternatives. Humans and other creatures that share the Earth are impacted by climate change. The effects of greenhouse gases pose a major threat to our health. Warmer temperatures allow mosquitoes carrying diseases to spread further and more quickly. Natural disasters are also effects of warm ocean temperatures. States like Louisiana are prone to flooding due to rising sea levels.

There are two basic types of sources used to create electricity and are further divided into two categories; renewable & new-renewable sources. Fossil fuels are non-renewable sources and make up to 67 percent of electricity, which includes: coal, natural gas, and oil. Many states, like California, offer hydroelectricity options that consist of wind, geothermal and solar energy. Nuclear power is also a source used to generate electricity. On a global scale, generation of electricity affects the climate. The production of electricity through fossil fuels intensifies carbon dioxide emission. States such as Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinoi, Indiana, and Ohio create up to 526g of carbon. These states use coal, gas, nuclear, and wind to generate electricity. Compared to Ontario, Canada, which emits 19g of carbon consisting 10g of nuclear, 4g hydro, 1g wind and .5g gas.

When it comes to transportation, not all vehicles require the same amount of time and money to maintain. “It’s pretty obvious that not all cars are alike when it comes to fossil fuel use. A giant Hummer requires more fuel to go the same distance as a Honda Civic. From a climate change perspective, our goal should be clear: get as far as possible using as little fossil fuel as we can.” The cost of an electric vehicle is no more than gas consuming vehicles. Brands such as Nissan are making the switch to provide affordable electric vehicles to the public. “In fact, the biggest single cost of owning a new vehicle is depreciation—when you sell the car after many years of use, you will only recoup a small fraction of its initial value. In other words, the biggest single chunk of the TCO is usually the difference between the price you pay to buy and the price you get when you sell the car to its next owner. And the sharpest decline in the value of a car occurs in the first few years of ownership. As soon as you buy that new car and drive it off the lot, several thousand dollars of value just evaporate into thin air.”

Another concern with electric vehicles are whether these vehicles are safe or not. According to Tesla, “engineers were able to achieve unprecedented safety ratings in crash tests. The Model S is so well built that it broke the machine that tests how much crushing force the vehicle can take. These vehicles have batteries stored in a compartment at the bottom of the vehicle, giving them an extremely low center of gravity. This makes the vehicles resistant to rollovers.”

The solution to controlling carbon emission is significant to future generations. There are many ways to contribute to a low carbon sustainable community. Reducing, reusing, and recycling is a great start to reducing greenhouse gases. Although reducing air conditioning in the south is out of the question, leaving the air conditioner off while a home is unoccupied can also help. Also, driving less or choosing to drive electric vehicles are great ways to lower greenhouse gases. It is cheaper to operate an electric vehicle compared to a gas-burning vehicle. Stated above, certain states create cleaner electricity. In order for states such as Louisiana to lower carbon emission significantly, the production of that electricity must change.