Electric cars are on the rise. Tesla cars have been very popular lately. Their stock has risen up by more than 200 percent since February 2019. People have been giving false information including companies like Tesla. Controversies have also gotten many people's attention. Ever since the first ever electric vehicle was announced in the early 2000s, there have been many arguments on whether the electric cars are useful or not.
Electric vehicles are way more efficient than gas cars. Electric cars cause no carbon emissions. Because they rely on a rechargeable battery, driving an electric car does not create any emissions which are a major source of pollution in the United States. In the long term, more emissions could lead to danger in the environment and bad air quality. Bad air quality can already be seen around the world and polluting the air more can lead to some great consequences. In India, more than 2.5 million people are killed each year due to air pollution. Mining for oil will also trap the earth’s heat in the atmosphere, which leads to warmer temperatures and ultimately climate change including rising sea levels, more extreme weather, heat-related deaths, and increasing transmission of infectious diseases.
As many may see electric cars to be environmentally friendly, it is also very important to consider how the batteries are made. Tesla cars use a battery type called lithium-ion. Getting lithium into a battery is not very simple. Either way, they require hard rock ores. To produce lithium from ore, the ore is typically crushed or melted. Then, chemicals and high temperatures are used to separate the lithium from the rest of the rock. Producing lithium requires a lot of environmental damages like clearing land, digging mines and storing waste rock. Significant energy and chemical use are also needed to obtain the final product.
Electric vehicles can also save money for the consumer by providing less operating costs. A 2018 study from the University of Michigan found that electric vehicles cost less than half as much to operate as gas-powered cars. The average cost to operate an electric vehicle in the United States is $485 per year, while the average for a gasoline-powered vehicle is $1,117. This is a lot less compared to a gas-powered vehicle. There is also less maintenance needed for an electric car. An electric car will not need to go through an oil change every so many miles. A Tesla battery wears out after around 100,000 miles while an oil powered car would wear out after around 10,000 miles. Buying parts for a Tesla is also significantly cheaper. Tesla cars have far less projected maintenance because its electric engine has far fewer moving parts than a regular internal combustion engine. This means that fueling an electric car is both budget-friendly and more predictable.
So, should you buy an electric car? Throughout research, it was very sad for me to find out that electric cars are not actually environmentally friendly. Even though they may save money and reduce the carbon emissions, it is really important to remember that they are still produced in a manner that is not environmentally friendly. People only think about the short term - for the buyer, they only think about how much money they can save while buying a less expensive but popular car; for the seller, they only want to make money by boasting something fancy. Buying an electric car is in rather words risky. Ultimately, recycling lithium from abandoned cars is yet to be seen. The production of more and more electrode materials may become more environmentally damaging. Electrical cars are just not developed properly. I urge scientists to find a solution to this problem: find an environmentally friendly battery that can have more density and hold more power. We are getting closer as more and more discoveries are being made each day. Have these products be available for testing to the public. Until this comes out, Tesla cars will not be 100 percent environmentally free.
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