Modern electric cars started to be “popular” in the early 2000s, after increased talk about preventing pollution. Nowadays, 11.3 million people globally drive a car with a battery, which is not many, considering about 1.466 billion people own a car (of any type). Throughout our lives, most of us know two types of cars: regular, gasoline fueled cars, or “green” cars with rechargeable batteries. With all those talk about climate change and pollution, some of us have automatically deemed cars with batteries as more sustainable, and better for the environment. But is there actually any truth in that? Or is it simply not an inclusive and viable option for many people? In my opinion, electric cars are bad because of the financial need to buy it, the pollution it causes, and also its inability to resist harsh conditions.
Not all people who buy cars are extremely well-off, so electric cars with the current price targets a very small amount of the population. Statistics from make use for’s article show that cheaper electric cars cost at average $66, 000. The average American income is $69, 021, so this option is simply not feasible for many people. Although it is indisputable that there are rich Americans who can afford EVs with ease, it is also inadmissible that less-well off people cannot come close in affording those cars. Even though the maintenance and lifetime costs of an EV might be lower, purchasing an EV is already impossible for many people, so thinking about all the maintenance works is already out of the question. If one cannot even purchase the item, why think about the work that goes after it?
Another important yet often overlooked fact about EV is that it actually generates a lot of pollution and also is indirectly related to unfair human labor. One might be shocked hearing this, but the major pollution EV causes is because of its battery. Electric vehicles’ batteries are made of lithium, which brings us to lithium mines. In 2018, 95, 000 tons of lithium has been mined, which causes soil degradation, water shortages, biodiversity loss, damage to the ecosystem functions and global warming. Another important thing to remember is that a lot of the lithium is dug up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where miners are often women and children with little protective equipment and unfair wages. The making of electric vehicles also includes the release of greenhouse gas, which is also extremely harmful towards the atmosphere. So before buying an electric car, it is important to keep in mind that the battery in the vehicle came at the cost of human exploitation, environmental downsides, and global warming.
One last major downside of electric vehicles is that it cannot travel longer distances without needing a long recharge. . According to the article Pros and Cons of Electric Vehicles, “ have a shorter range than gas powered cars' '. They state that most electric car models can travel from 60 to 120 miles per charge, while gas powered vehicles can travel 300 miles with a full tank of gas. This might cause an inconvenience for people driving for longer distances without recharging stations. Also, not all charging stations have the best chargers. For example, a level one to level two charger needs eight hours to fully charge an EV’s battery. And even the best charging stations need at least 30 minutes to charge 80% of the battery. This might be a bother or ineffective towards people in a rush. Therefore, time-wise and efficient-wise, an EV might not be that good.
In conclusion, EVs bring more bad than good to society because of its expensive costs, its polluting material, and also its inability to travel longer distances. In addition to that, studies by the Swiss insurance company showed that a crash by an EV has more serious consequences than a crash by a gas fueled car. “The incredible acceleration” of EVs is more prone to cause pedestrian deaths and serious damages to the other vehicles is a fact that researchers have determined. This experiment unveils even more behind the mask of goodness an electric vehicle puts on. What is the point of owning a vehicle simply for its label of sustainability and not its actual capabilities?
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