The Future of Electric Vehicles - Research Paper Example

The future of electric vehicles The world is currently experiencing the effects of environmental destruction. Human actions have resulted into serious environmental issues. The actions include the high usage of fossil fuels as a source of energy. Burning of fossil fuels leads to the production of green house gases. The increase in green houses gases in the air has caused global warming that trigger other problems such flooding and droughts. One of the factors that contribute to the high demand of fossil fuels is the increase in the amount of vehicles globally. Vehicles that use fossil fuel as a source of energy release exhaust fumes that damage the natural environment. Replacing such vehicles with the ones that use electric energy will bring positive changes in the environment. Electric cars and their operational process Electric cars are vehicles that use electricity as a source of energy instead of fossil fuel. It is possible to use the cars since they already exist in some countries (Reddy & Tharun 957). The cars are environmental friendly because they do not emit pollutants in the air. Instead of fossil fuels, they only need to be recharged using renewable sources of energy such as solar energy. The first electric car was introduced in Australia in the year 2008. Each year more of such vehicles are introduced at affordable prices (Reddy & Tharun 957). There two types of electric vehicles entail the battery-electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. The battery electric ones have rechargeable batteries that can be charged at home or at charging stations. The hybrid ones have rechargeable batteries, but they need a small amount of fossil fuel to increase its effectiveness. The distance travelled using electric vehicles varies depending on many factors just like the non-electric ones. For instance, if the road conditions are poor, one will require recharging it more times. In addition, the size of the battery will also determine the distance covered using the cars (Reddy & Tharun 957). Electric cars reduce air pollution The use of electric cars will reduce overreliance of fossil oil that has led to environmental degradation. The use of standard cars leads to the production of polluting gases such as carbon dioxide in the air. The increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases produced cause the destruction of ozone layer. The layer helps in regulating the amount of heat reaching the earth. Due to the high usage of fossil fuel, this layer continues to be destroyed causing the increase in temperatures. The temperature rise has led to the degradation of the natural environment (Davis 4). For instance, temperatures make the ice covering some parts of the world to melt. Melting of ice causes the rise of sea level and flooding is some parts. In addition, some parts experience droughts which cause poverty. However, electric cars do not emit the polluting gases. Studies show that by using electric cars, the amount of pollutants will reduce by about 97 percent. The best way to reduce air pollution, especially in urban areas is to focus on its sources. Since the use of electricity is clean, the use of electric vehicles will increase the quality of air. Studies show that if only 5 percent of transport system especially in urban areas use electric vehicles by the year 2020 the amount of air pollutants will reduce by about 200000 tons (Davis 4). Electric vehicles reduce noise pollution Electric vehicle produce less noise compared to the standard cars. This was proved in a study carried out in Victorian road. Many people living near the Victorian roads are disturbed by the noise made by the standard cars. The noise disrupts their sleep and other important activities such as reading. The mass adoption of the electric vehicles will help in reducing the noise problems. A study conducted in Wasatch Front also proved that electric vehicles reduce noise compared to the gasoline fueled cars. The major source of noise pollution, especially in urban areas is the transport system. This means that noise pollution will reduce in such areas if electric cars are used (Goines 287). Electric vehicles reduce water pollution Apart from reducing air and noise pollution, studies also prove that electric vehicles reduce water pollution. One of the factors that cause water pollution includes oil spills from vehicles and ships. During rainy seasons, oil spills from vehicles are usually transported in water bodies where they negatively affect the aquatic lives (Murray 3). For instance, they reduce the amount of oxygen in the water bodies resulting into the deaths of many aquatic animals. Apart from the oil spills, standard vehicles cause acid rain. This occurs when exhaust fumes released by standard cars form oxides which are acidic in nature. The acids fall on earth in various forms such as acidic rain and fog. However, if electric vehicles are used, there would be zero emission of the gases. This implies that the amount of oxides formed in the air will reduce (Murray 3). The impacts of Electric vehicles in environmental health Electric vehicles will also reduce environmental health problems. The increase in the amount of air pollutants produced by standard cars has negative effects of human and environmental health. Air pollution is among the major environmental health issues affecting both advanced and developing world nations. Human health will be negatively affected if we continue using the fossil fuels in cars. One of the health problems caused by air pollutants produced by vehicles includes the respiratory illnesses. Cars that use gasoline produce gases that form the Ground-level ozone. This type of ozone causes the constriction of the respiratory tracks leading to the lower supply of oxygen in the system (Hagman & Selvig 81). This causes illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis. Apart from the ground level ozone standard vehicles also increase the particulate matter in the air which negatively affects the lungs and heart. Children exposed to particular matter are also at higher risks of developing chronic respiratory illnesses. Part from respiratory diseases, the air pollutants produced by the standard vehicles also causes other chronic illnesses such as cancer. In both developed and developing countries many people use personal cars for transportation currently. This leads to the increase in the amount of pollutants in the air, which causes the degradation of ozone layer. As a result, the amount of ultraviolet rays reaching the earth is not controlled. Such rays are responsible for the prevalence of skin cancer in the modern society. The prevalence of chronic illness caused by air pollutants causes the increase in the cost of health care in the country. Such problems can be solves with the mass adoption of the electric vehicles that are 100 percent environmentally clean (Hagman & Selvig 81). Electric vehicles will also reduce environmental health problems caused by noise pollution. Noise pollution is among the modern adverse environmental health issues according to the World Health Organization report (Murray 3). Studies show that exposure to noise that exceeds 85dB for a long period causes hearing problems. 85 dB of sound can be produced in traffic jam especially in busy roads. It is difficult to avoid such areas because they are people’s work places. Exposure to sound that exceeds 85 dB daily can cause hearing impairment. If many people start using the electric vehicles this health problem will reduce (Murray 3). Apart from hearing problems, noise pollution caused by standard vehicles also causes psychological problems. This especially occurs if the noise is produced near residential areas. Interrupting people’s sleep regularly by the noise caused by the vehicles cause health problems. Uninterrupted sleep improves a person’s mental function. However, if sleep is constantly disrupted by vehicles it causes health problems such as depression and sleeping disorders which reduces people’s productivity during the day. Lack of enough sleep is also one of causes for car accidents. Studies show that noise pollution has both permanent and temporary effects on human health. One of the serious health impacts of noise pollution is that it causes chronic illnesses such heart diseases. This is because noise negatively affects body systems such as the nervous system which increases the risk of getting cardiovascular illnesses. An example of the temporary effects of noise pollution includes the increase in blood pressure. The effect of noise pollution affects children more. Children living in noisy environments experience stress and other emotional instability issues. Since electric cars produce less noise, its usage by many people will reduce the health issues (Reddy & Tharun 957). Apart from humans, pollution caused by standard cars also affects wildlife. For instance, the acid rain formed by air pollutants kills many plants and animals. Acid rains in water bodies cause the death of aquatic animals and plants. Animals also experience health effects just humans. Toxins caused by pollutants cause animal diseases. Many animals have birth defects because of toxins. The toxic pollutants also cause reduction of biodiversity (Davis 5). This is especially occurs due to climate change. The global temperature rise causes changes in the habitats of wild animals. This exposes them to hostile weather conditions which results into their deaths. Some animals are facing the risk of extinction because of climate change. For instance, animals that live in areas covered by ice may face extinction if all the snow in such areas melts due to global temperature rise. If electric cars are used, the amount of toxic pollutants in the environment will reduce (Davis 5). Economic impacts of electric cars The mass usage of electric vehicles will reduce the overreliance of fossil fuels that are very expensive. The high demand for fossil fuels causes the increase in oil prices. This results into the increase in inflation rates in countries. This is because many economic sectors globally depend on oil. In addition, high usage of fossils leads to its scarcity which is a factor that contributes to high oil prices. Electric cars will be using locally produced energy. If many countries start using electric cars the cost of living will reduce. Countries that have adopted the use of electric cars Many countries have already realized the positive effects electric cars. The UK is among the nations that are embracing the use of electric vehicles (Reddy & Tharun 958). The UK supports the low carbon transport system by offering incentive to buyers. For instance, in the year 2009 the country pledged to offer an incentive of about 2000 to 5000 dollars to buyers of electric cars for about two years (Reddy & Tharun 958). The government commitment to introduce electric cars is proved by including the low carbon transport in its economic policies. One of the challenges that affect the introduction of the electric vehicles in the country is lack of a coherent infrastructure. However, the government offered to allocate about 20 million dollars to support the charging stations in order to increase the popularity of electric vehicles. Currently about 0.1 percent of the vehicles in the country are electric. It is expected that the percentage will increase if the government offers the incentives (Reddy & Tharun 958). China is one of the countries fighting against air pollution by encouraging its citizens to buy electric vehicles. The government does this by increasing the amount of subsidies for the electric cars. China is among the countries whose pollution has reached a very high level. This is because of the high usage of personal vehicles in the country. This prompted it introduce emergency actions such as discouraging the use of private vehicles in urban areas. Among the country’s strategies to reduce pollution includes its target of introducing about 5 million eco friendly cars by in the next six years. The US government is also promoting the use of electric vehicles. The country’s energy department report show that about two thirds of the country’s oil is used in transport sectors. This implies that the transport sector also contributes to the large amount of pollutants released in the air. As such, the country tries to replace the usage of oil vehicles with electric ones in order to reduce the harmful effects of fossil fuels on the environment. Just like other countries, the US is also considering to introduce incentives in order to promote electric vehicle adoption. By the end of the year 2013, about 39 states had implemented the incentives (Michaelis 1). Conclusion Electric cars will positively affect the natural environment in many ways. In many countries, the largest percentage of pollutants is produced in the transport sectors. Vehicles that use fossil fuels as a source of energy are the major cause of environmental and economic issues in many countries. They produce many pollutants that have caused environmental degradation. For instance, releasing of large amounts of air pollutants have resulted into environmental and health problems in both developing and developed nations. However, electric vehicles do not produce air pollutants since they use renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar which are 100 percent environmentally clean. As such, the government should encourage its citizens to switch to electric vehicles through incentives and subsidies. Works Cited Davis, Ben. The Victorian electric vehicle trial: Environmental impacts of electric vehicles in Victoria. 2012. Web. 5 August 2014. Goines, Lisa. Noise pollution: A Modern plague. South Med Journal. Vol 100 (3): 287-294. 2007. Web. 5 August 2014. Hagman, Rolf, and Eivind Selvig. Environmentally Friendly Vehicles: Experiences and Definitions. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers, 2007. Internet resource. Michaelis, Laurie. The role of alternative fuels. Journal of Transport Economics and Policy. 2005. Web. 5 August 2014. Murray, Timothy. Health & Environmental effects of air pollution. 2009. Web. 5 August 2009. Reddy, Satti & Tharun, Kola. Eco Friendly Vehicles (Hybrid electric vehicles). International journal of Engineering Trends and Technology. Vol 4 (4): 1. Web. 5 August 2014. Read More