The Electric Vehicles and a Form of the Clean Mode of Transport - Article Example

Electric Vehicles – Clean Transporters into Future? Jet planes, supersonics and luxury cars have all indeed propelled the world into the future where the Moon and the Mars are commutable neighborhoods. Even so, on ground level, the very modernization and improvisation of the combustible engines that spearheaded the transportation revolution, have also contributed to the pollution of the atmosphere with manifold increase of carbon emissions into the very air that we breathe in. This has led the scientific communities, political leaders and the general public alike to search for viable alternatives in the electric vehicles or cars (EV). EVs not only help reduce the dependency on the depleting oil resources, but also because they offer a form of clean mode of transport. However, there are other factors such as the cost and price of EVs, their quality including ease of use and availability of recharging facilities, the driving range, and most importantly the extent of their environment-friendliness that will ultimately determine the success or the failure of EVs. This essay shall briefly explain both the advantages and the disadvantages of EVs. It will conclude that while electric vehicles do offer some advantages like reduced emission and eco-friendly means of transportation, major disadvantages persist and they have to be addressed in order to make EVs become attractive alternatives to the powerful but polluting combustible engine vehicles. Electric Vehicles – A Boon to Reduce Pollution  The concept of vehicles powered by electricity was first introduced in as early as the year 1838 – which is about half a century prior to introduction of combustion engine vehicles. The popularity of combustion engine vehicles after 1913 essentially caused the decline in the interest in electric vehicles observes a Jan 18, 2010 report by European Environment Agency. Now, depletion of oil resources and environmental concerns have helped revive interest in EVs. However, is the electric vehicle or electric car really clean? What are the emission levels in an electric car as compared to a gas/petrol/diesel car, one may ask. Probably, the single biggest advantage that an EV offers is that it has “zero tailpipe emissions” (European Environment Agency 1); additionally, taking into account the current availability of power supply in developed nations like Europe, EVs have 50 % less emissions than their oil/gas powered counter-parts. Further benefits can be achieved if the carbon intensity of power generation continues to decrease with further greener and renewable energy sources. Another considerable advantage is the reduction in noise level (which has reached its limit in the recent decades) in urban areas. Furthermore, factors like efficiency of the energy used in electric vehicles is in the range of 60 to 80 % as compared to the combustible engine powered engine vehicles, which may be considered as a four-fold saving of energy. The European Environment Agency further observes that the efficiency is greatest at “low speeds and in situations involving frequently-changing driving dynamics” (p. 1) typically suiting the driving needs of city traffic. The benefit of not going to the gas station ever to have your vehicle refilled with energy is a wonderful dream for many drivers and EVs give you the pleasure of recharging at your own home. Ms. Lavelle of National Geographic emphatically points out that “fueling an electric car is much cheaper than tanking up with gasoline”; comparing the cost of fuel and the energy efficiency between the conventional oil based cars and EVs, she further states “Fueling the gasoline car is more than double the cost of fueling the EV, and it’s triple the cost for urban driving.” The average driving range of EVs is about 80 to 100 miles—or longer, depending on what model of EV you have. Though the initial cost of purchase of EV is high and may range anywhere from $ 35,430 (Nissan Leaf model) or $ 40,000 to $ 50,000 (for BMW models) depending on the manufacturer and the model; the cost may come down in future, however when and if the demand for EVs increases making the cost of manufacture and maintenance more economical. As Lavelle explains that cost of operation of an EV is considerably lesser than that of a conventional vehicle, as electricity is available cheap in most part of the world and fuel efficiency also helps bring down the cost per mile significantly; maintenance costs are also reduced due to oil-free combustion system. With all these benefits, EVs definitely seem to hold the key to future of transportation systems globally. However, many do not agree. Eco-friendliness of EVs –A Myth? “A major reason why EVs are gaining popularity is their claim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to be more beneficial from the environment” (Miret  p.1), however, deeper investigations prove otherwise. Critics of EVs dispute their eco-friendliness because, although EVs may have no tailpiece emissions, the process that manufactures the batteries of EVs and other factors contribute more to carbon emissions into the atmosphere than do emissions from conventional vehicles. Assessing the environmental benefits of EVs, therefore, is rather complicated observes Miret (p. 1). Comparing the GHG of internal combustion engine vehicles or ICEVs and EVs, Miret observes that, “EVs actually increased GHG emission by 17% when compared to ICEVs and 27% for diesel ICEVs.” Bjorn Lomborg of the Wall Street Journal echoes the above and cites the 2012 comprehensive life-cycle analysis in Journal of Industrial Ecology to show that the production of lithium batteries for EVs actually causes more harm to the environment and when “an electric car rolls off the production line, it has already been responsible for 30,000 pounds of carbon-dioxide emission.”   Furthermore, there is an additional disadvantage in the use of EVs - “the stubbornly high cost of the giant battery packs, which can account for half the cost of an electric vehicle” observes Mike Ramsey, an auto-industry journalist in the Wall Street Journal. Advocates of EVs prefer to say that their batteries are charged by electricity from renewable sources of energy, and that many batteries use metals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese and only a small part of lithium (Ramsey 1); the steady prices of the metals used in its making process shall serve only to steady or increase their prices observes Jay Whitacre, a battery researcher and technology policy analyst at Carnegie Mellon University, according to the WSJ article (cited in Ramsey 1).   EVs are still to progress in the aspect of driving range capabilities too, argue the critics. Most EVs have a driving range of 70-80 miles even though some manufacturers claim that their EVs had a driving range of 100 miles. Kris Knapman pointedly reports in the Telegraph Nov 18, 2013 that even though the average driving range of people on a normal day is only 30 miles, people “are still going to get range anxiety when told they can only drive 80-100 miles between eight-hour recharges (reduced to four hours if you use a 32A BMW wallbox).” Another disadvantage in EVs is the long years taken to get the payback; even Marianne Lavelle of the National Geographic, who sees some advantages in EVs, observes that, “It would take nearly six years for the EV fuel cost savings to pay back the $6,655 initial price premium” for consumers in even states like California that offer more rebates for the purchase of EVs. In other states that do not offer such rebates, the payback may take more time.   Furthermore, for EVs the convenience of going to a public re-charging facility is hardly available currently; this is changing and could change further with the number of EVs on roads increasing, placing enormous demands on the amounts of power requirements. “Meeting that demand at a time when the electric system is already fully loaded could be expensive if it requires construction of new power plants – specially purposed for handling peak demand – that would be needed only a few hundred hours a year” reports Mathew. L. Wald of the New York Times; he states that this could converted into an advantage if EVs are used in very large numbers so as to build special power grids to supply them energy in public places, much like gasoline stations. However, they are a rarity now and are a short-coming which leaves the users in fear and anxiety of being stranded without power for their vehicles on a highway. Limited driving range coupled with lack of re-charging facilities increase the possibilities of such risks. In the conventional four-wheeler market, cars of different ranges, sizes and brands abound and have pampered the customers with a wide variety to choose from in every category. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of EVs, which have hardly a few models and either very small or very big at that. The result is that even people who want to opt for EVs are forced to look for conventional models because of the lack of choice in this sector. Considering the point that customers are paying higher prices for the purchase of an EV than conventional models, customers may expect having a wider range to choose from; however, the real picture may be quite disappointing to a few at least. Conclusion In sum, EVs have come into existence long back, but are yet to find a stable, solid place in the commercial market for themselves. Even though they were invented in the late nineteenth century, the popularity of the conventional model combustible engines powered vehicles diminished the use of EVs. In recent times, however, due to the reduced output of petrol and gas interests in EVs are growing are increasing. With zero % tailpiece emissions and relatively lesser costs of maintenance they are touted as the sure leaders of futuristic transport systems. However, still many obstacles still remain and need to be tackled. This has divided the scientific and political communities and left the general public hesitant and undecided views regarding EVs. Some critics of EVs challenge the very basic stand of EVs that they are harmful to the environment rather than being friendly as propagated. While it is indeed correct that there are no tailpiece emissions and the maintenance costs are minimal in EVs, they have the major drawbacks such as high financial costs of purchase and long time before paybacks start. Though it appears eco-friendly, the manufacture and processes involved in making the batteries of EVs cause much more damage to the environment through the emissions carbon dioxide than do conventional oil based vehicles. In addition, limited driving range of EVs, and the lack of network of electric re-charging facilities compound the problem. Developing innovative business models that reduce the financial costs and, identifying less toxic alternatives to the currently-used battery technology may help transform the way in which EVs are perceived as a viable, futuristic, automotive transport. List of Works Cited European Environment Agency. “The electric car — a green transport revolution in the making?” Online article published Jan 18, 2010, Last modified 12 Oct 2011. Available at http://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/the-electric-car-2014-a-green-transport-revolution-in -the-making Lavelle, Marianne. “How to Compare the Cost of Electric and Gas Cars” Online article published Oct 1, 2012. Available at http://energyblog.nationalgeographic.com/2012/10/01/how-to-compare-the-cost-of electric-and-gas-cars/ Lomborg, Bjorn. “Bjorn Lomborg: Green Cars Have a Dirty Little Secret - Producing and charging electric cars means heavy carbon-dioxide emissions” in Wall Street Journal March 11, 2013. Available at http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324128504578346913994914472 Miret, Santiago. “IS THE ELECTRIC CAR REALLY HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT?” Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative Online article published Sep 23, 2013. http://berc.berkeley.edu/is-the-electric-car-really-helping-the-environment/ Knapman, Kris. “BMW i3 Range Extender review” in Motoring - The Telegraph dated March 7, 2014. Online version available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/car-manufacturers/bmw/10409074/BMW-i3 -review.html Ramsey, Mike. “High Battery Cost Curbs Electric Cars - Unlike Other Devices, Power Packs May Not Enjoy Major Economies of Scale” in The Wall Street Journal, Oct 17, 2010. Available at http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703735804575536242934528502 Wald, L. Matthew. “E.V.’s Could Be Key Part of a Changing Electrical Grid” in the New York Times dated Jan 23, 2014. Online version available at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/automobiles/evs-could-be-key-part-of-a-changing- electrical-grid.html . Read More

Though the initial cost of purchase of EV is high and may range anywhere from $ 35,430 (Nissan Leaf model) or $ 40,000 to $ 50,000 (for BMW models) depending on the manufacturer and the model; the cost may come down in future, however when and if the demand for EVs increases making the cost of manufacture and maintenance more economical. As Lavelle explains that cost of operation of an EV is considerably lesser than that of a conventional vehicle, as electricity is available cheap in most part of the world and fuel efficiency also helps bring down the cost per mile significantly; maintenance costs are also reduced due to oil-free combustion system.

With all these benefits, EVs definitely seem to hold the key to future of transportation systems globally. However, many do not agree. Eco-friendliness of EVs –A Myth? “A major reason why EVs are gaining popularity is their claim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to be more beneficial from the environment” (Miret  p.1), however, deeper investigations prove otherwise. Critics of EVs dispute their eco-friendliness because, although EVs may have no tailpiece emissions, the process that manufactures the batteries of EVs and other factors contribute more to carbon emissions into the atmosphere than do emissions from conventional vehicles.

Assessing the environmental benefits of EVs, therefore, is rather complicated observes Miret (p. 1). Comparing the GHG of internal combustion engine vehicles or ICEVs and EVs, Miret observes that, “EVs actually increased GHG emission by 17% when compared to ICEVs and 27% for diesel ICEVs.” Bjorn Lomborg of the Wall Street Journal echoes the above and cites the 2012 comprehensive life-cycle analysis in Journal of Industrial Ecology to show that the production of lithium batteries for EVs actually causes more harm to the environment and when “an electric car rolls off the production line, it has already been responsible for 30,000 pounds of carbon-dioxide emission.

”   Furthermore, there is an additional disadvantage in the use of EVs - “the stubbornly high cost of the giant battery packs, which can account for half the cost of an electric vehicle” observes Mike Ramsey, an auto-industry journalist in the Wall Street Journal. Advocates of EVs prefer to say that their batteries are charged by electricity from renewable sources of energy, and that many batteries use metals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese and only a small part of lithium (Ramsey 1); the steady prices of the metals used in its making process shall serve only to steady or increase their prices observes Jay Whitacre, a battery researcher and technology policy analyst at Carnegie Mellon University, according to the WSJ article (cited in Ramsey 1).

  EVs are still to progress in the aspect of driving range capabilities too, argue the critics. Most EVs have a driving range of 70-80 miles even though some manufacturers claim that their EVs had a driving range of 100 miles. Kris Knapman pointedly reports in the Telegraph Nov 18, 2013 that even though the average driving range of people on a normal day is only 30 miles, people “are still going to get range anxiety when told they can only drive 80-100 miles between eight-hour recharges (reduced to four hours if you use a 32A BMW wallbox).

” Another disadvantage in EVs is the long years taken to get the payback; even Marianne Lavelle of the National Geographic, who sees some advantages in EVs, observes that, “It would take nearly six years for the EV fuel cost savings to pay back the $6,655 initial price premium” for consumers in even states like California that offer more rebates for the purchase of EVs. In other states that do not offer such rebates, the payback may take more time.   Furthermore, for EVs the convenience of going to a public re-charging facility is hardly available currently; this is changing and could change further with the number of EVs on roads increasing, placing enormous demands on the amounts of power requirements.

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