The world of technology and transportation, whether private or public, are slowly colliding and merging into one big world. With the new discoveries in tech, and the new improvements that many automobile manufacturers are looking for, a new and revolutionary invention has emerged that is now popular in many people’s lives: the electric vehicle. This new and innovative automobile claims to have replaced all the flaws of the older gasoline-powered car. With the increasing approval of these new and groundbreaking vehicles, people are more and more willing to trade in their old car for the new, electric battery-powered one. As of 2021, there were approximately 10 million registered electric cars driving on the roads. A new system, called Autolib, which originated in Paris, France, uses electric car rentals for local inhabitants to be able to enjoy the “luxuries” of driving in an electric vehicle. Now, the system has also traveled to Indiana, United States, renamed BlueIndy. Scientists claim that electric cars will reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gasses emitted by gas cars. But, there’s still a few dirty little secrets to the electric cars that manufacturers would never tell: The electric vehicles, though claimed to be helpful, can actually be at the same degree (if not worse) of environmental damage that gas cars produce. Obviously, this would be bad for business, so nobody tries to mention it. They would rather believe that electric cars are good. But, the truth is, and you’ll have to accept it, electric cars are just as bad.
One of the harmful traits of electric cars, buses, vans, and generally vehicles is the fact that we generate the power for electric cars by burning fossil fuels: natural gas and coal. Naturally, natural gas, coal, and nuclear power (Nuclear doesn’t release emissions, but it still has other byproducts that environmentalists are worried about) all are harmful to the environment, with two of them releasing even more greenhouse gasses into the air, and the last one, nuclear, produces radioactive waste that stays radioactive for thousands of years. EIA (Energy Information Administration) projects that the nation’s electric generating mix will be just 30% renewable by 2030. Basically, this means that the more electric cars there are, the less electricity there is for future use. “If the EIA’s projected number of electric vehicles were replaced with new internal combustion vehicles, air pollution would actually decrease—and this holds true even if you include the emissions from oil refineries that manufacture gasoline.” says Politico. While electric cars may stop emitting greenhouse gasses while driving, the charging and the production is more harmful than ever. For example, the average electric vehicle emits approximately 2,817 pounds of carbon dioxide each year in drive. The carbon dioxide released into the air will only contribute to global warming. Even with the increased production of wind and solar energy, the energy usage of electric vehicles is still worrisome, not for the present, but for the future.
Have you ever wondered what the electric car runs on? It’s a pretty simple question. It runs on batteries. Electric batteries, with a production so harmful, it can emit even more greenhouse gasses into the already greenhouse gas filled air. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, and another handful of rare earth metals are all used to make the electric car’s batteries. The metals all have to be processed, refined, and mined to make the battery. “The process is energy-intensive and is often referred to as an EV's "indirect emissions," so named because they don't come from using the car on a day-to-day basis, but the processes employed to manufacture it.” says Edmunds. Apart from emitting greenhouse gasses at various stages of the harmful production of electric car batteries, making the batteries also takes up a lot of water. Almost 60% of lithium is mined from arid areas like Argentina and Chile, where the water gets directed away from nearby communities and instead to the mining sites. Euronews estimated that nearly 600,000 gallons of water are needed to mine one ton of lithium. The toxic chemicals used to mine the lithium can also damage all water supplies and the air in the vicinity. The energy usage and the greenhouse gas emitted to make a single car battery stands at an unbelievable amount that contributes more than we think to the current age of global warming and the melting of ice caps. For instance, the carbon dioxide emitted from the production of an 80-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery in a vehicle like a Tesla Model 3 could range anywhere from about 2.5 tons to just over 17.5 tons. Mind-blowingly large, and mind-blowingly important for the harm to many environments. While driving electric cars around the city may not emit many greenhouse gasses, the backstory is such a different idea.
Like many batteries in electric toothbrushes, computers, and electronic devices, the electric vehicle’s battery cannot last forever. Well, no battery can. However, the disposal methods used to dispose of these batteries also harm the environment. There is a fire risk, and pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy emit greenhouse gasses, while plainly burning the batteries can cause carbon monoxide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide, and other toxic gasses that are not helpful to stopping air pollution. The fires caused by burning batteries are also uncontainable. Namely, the battery acts as both its own fuel and oxygen source, meaning the fire can burn until the fuel source is completely used. The carbon monoxide caused by these fires also pose certain risks to people’s health. CO, or carbon monoxide, is an odorless, tasteless, and flammable gas. When inhaled at an unhealthy amount, carbon monoxide can cause severe tissue damage and maybe even death. At least 430 people die in the U. S. from accidental CO poisoning. Hydrogen cyanide can also result in bone loss and other health defects than an average human being would not want. Now, you might have heard that recycling batteries is harmless. Not true. Pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy are the two main ways companies use to dispose of batteries. “While they are better solutions than simply letting used batteries decompose over time, both processes come with environmental drawbacks.” says Edmunds. Pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy waste both release greenhouse gasses. Pyrometallurgy is energy intensive, again, and produces air pollution, while hydrometallurgy results in hazardous wastewater that goes on to pollute marine life. Biometallurgy is generally more eco-friendly, but is slow and inefficient, resulting in more piles of waste. Battery disposal is not an easy job, and many environmentalists and scientists are still working to refine the methods into eco-friendly standards. Sometimes, you just don't want to think about something that you’ve thrown away. But, the effects can bounce right back to you.
Overall, the decision of driving a gas car or an electric car for transportation gradually wears down to the individual’s preference, with both parties having pros and cons. Electric cars, though more admired than gas cars, cna thought to be more environmentally fancy and “clean,” and can actually be more harmful than we think. From the generation of electricity by burning natural gas or coals or using nuclear power, to the greenhouse gasses emitted during the variety of stages in the production of the electric car battery, to the environmentally harmful disposal of the used and drained electric car battery, indirect emissions come from electric cars more than we think. As the new theories and discoveries of science, tech, environmental engineering, and automotive engineering grow, we can only hope that many scientists in all fields can find a workable solution to the problems that we still face with greenhouse gasses, carbon emissions, and global warming. No matter the reason, environmental issues that many people work tirelessly to solve still exist in the world today. Why do we contribute and make sure that we are not adding something to a problem that we are not solving? Today, many people are becoming more and more aware of this ongoing issue. Why don’t we all contribute to make this world a better place!
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