Gas vs electric
More than 225,000 electric cars have been sold so far in 2023
Electric vehicle sales have gone up by 138% since the year 2020. They are becoming more and more common as the debate about climate change becomes more intense.
Electric cars produce significantly less carbon dioxide than gas powered cars. According to MIT, electric cars produce 150 grams less than gas powered cars for each mile that they drive.
This is significant because vehicles are responsible for releasing 1.4 billion tons of greenhouse gas, mainly in the form of carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere each year according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Switching over to electric for standard cars and trucks would likely have a positive impact on the environment, especially as power sources for them become more green and the recycling issue becomes more efficient,
— Biology Teacher Charles Bunce Said.
On a more individual level, the U.S. Department of Energy predicts that each vehicle produces between five and nine tons of greenhouse gas per year.
Electric cars run solely on battery power so they don’t require things like gasoline and oil to run. Gasoline and oil have been proven to harm the environment in many ways with the emissions released into the atmosphere. Electric cars have shown to be more sustainable than gas or diesel vehicles because of the lack of emissions, however not all electric cars are created equally.
“Hybrid electric cars use internal combustion engines and “regenerative braking” to charge the batteries, whereas plug-in hybrid vehicles require charging with electricity from “the grid” likely generated from burning fossil fuels, meaning they release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, too, but upstream or indirectly,” physics teacher Kelsey Rasmussen said.
Not only are most hybrid cars cleaner when it comes the environment, scientists are also working on making the chargers faster and more efficient to appeal to more consumers.
The federal space agency has funded a project in partnership with Purdue for NASA in order to make faster and better charging cords. With their new technology, the cords could charge an electric car within five minutes. This would be much more convenient compared to the average of two hours that it takes to charge a car now.
Many popular vehicle companies are pushing for more electric vehicles than before.
These major car companies are even discontinuing gas vehicles. Ford, General Motors, Mercedes- Benz, Volvo, and Land Rover all signed to pledge the end sales of gas cars worldwide by 2040. This pledge is said to help reduce the amount of fuel generated emissions, which also forces electric cars to become more popular.
Grace Burg is a senior in Stockbridge high school. This is her second year being a part of the Uncaged family. She enjoys working, hanging out with friends,...
