Wilson 1

Kiele Wilson Mr. Schaut Composition 1503, MWF, 8:00 am 3/25/11 The Electric Car It is clear that mankind is greatly affecting our environment. The carbon emissions resulting from daily travel are enormous. The emissions from just one working man are an astounding 8000 kg of carbon dioxide per year (U.S. DOT 3). At the rate we are going, we will literally destroy our planet. We must take some responsibility and save our environment. Transitioning from gasoline and diesel powered cars to the electric vehicle would greatly reduce our carbon footprint. Or would it? The electric vehicle (EV) was first introduced in the 1900s and did quite well. The electric car is a brilliant eco-friendly innovation. A few years later in 1908, Henry Ford introduced the mass produced gasoline powered Model T. This crushed the future of the electric vehicle for roughly fifty years. Than in the 1970s, gas and oil prices began to raise, interests shifted back to the electric car. People realized a battery powered car would replace the need for gas and diesel powered vehicles. However, the lead acid battery only allows for a 100 mile trip per charge, but this transition would greatly reduce our carbon emissions. In 1997 GM introduced the EV1, there were 660 vehicles available at this time, and all of them were leased. Consumers loved the new car. Despite the positive feedback the EV1 received, the life of the car did not last long. In 2003, GM announced that they would not be renewing the leases (Timeline 1). There are many different opinions on who killed the electric car. Some say it was the major oil companies, afraid to lose much of their profits. Other critics

Wilson 2

say it was the major car dealers, such as, GM, Ford, and Chevrolet. They feel the car companies were afraid to lose money because the electric vehicle would sell better than their cars (Zhang 5). Whatever the reason may be, the EV did not last long. As years past, global warming continued to be a problem. Car companies were inclined to come up with alternatives. The hybrid was a minor step, but did not have much effect on the environment. The electric vehicle begins to emerge once again. Youll soon be hearing a lot of buzz-and a healthy dose of sales hype-about a new wave of electric cars that will begin humming down our roads. The first cars to come from major automakers will be the much-publicized Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf, each expected to go on sale in selected areas by the end of this year. And several other models from Ford, Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and other companies will follow in the next couple of years (Anonymous 1). Many people do not have the slightest idea about what an electric vehicle is. There are three main types of electric cars: Dedicated EVs, Extended-range EVs, and Plug-in hybrids. A dedicated EV is a pure battery-electric car that does not have a gasoline engine at all. However, this limits the car to only 100 miles per charge. The new Nissan Leaf is an example of such a car. GM, on the other hand, went a different way by introducing the Volt. This car is capable of running 40 miles solely on electric power. Once the battery is out of charge, a small gas powered engine takes over. This allows the car to continue travel up to 300 miles. Finally, there is the Plug-in hybrid. Toyota has tried converting the Toyota Prius to a plug-in electric car. Ultimately, this did not work out well at all. The simple conversion is roughly $11,000 and will not be available until 2012 (Anonymous 1-2). Based on studies done by the Department of Energys Argonne National Research Center and the Electric Power Research Institute people who drive

Wilson 3

hybrid or all-electric vehicles, both will cut the greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent when compared with a traditional internal combustion engine in most areas of the U.S. (Ramsey). The environmental impacts and overall benefits are crucial and must be understood by consumers. In the few parts of the country where a majority of electricity is produced by emission-free nuclear or hydroelectric power, such as the Northwest, the greenhouse gases linked to charging an electric car over a ten year span could be as much as 80 percent lower than driving a traditional gasoline-powered car, according to the Argonne study (Ramsey 2). In a city, the emissions of carbon dioxide are unimaginable, but by implementing the electric vehicle, carbon emissions will decrease. Significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector as a result of electric vehicles penetration in the NYMA. The hours of 6 AM and 6 PM account for the times when there is significant vehicle traffic and hence the greatest reductions take place. Spatially, these emissions reductions will occur within the NYMA, particularly in NYC and the immediate surrounding areas (Zhang 7). In the article Should you plug in, Natural Resources Defense Council and the EPRI say that if twenty percent of American cars were electric by 2050, carbon dioxide emissions would decrease by at least 163 million metric tons. According to 2008 figures from the FHA this would result in a savings of 550 million gallons of gas a year, or 22.2 billion gallons by 2050 (Anonymous 4).

Wilson 4

Not only is the electric vehicle environmentally friendly, the car is also economical. Generally, when compared at the pump, EVs are cheaper to own than the average fuel powered car. Hopefully, this makes sense. Without all of the moving parts required in the combustion cars, the electric vehicle is much more reliable. The EV does not need engine oil, transmission fluid or anti-freeze for day to day operation (Sempra Energy Utility). The federal government is strongly pushing the increase in production of electric vehicles. President Obama has said that he wants to see one million electric vehicles on American roads by 2015, Consumer Reports said. Laws in California are demanding the six largest American and Japanese automakers to sell at least 12,500 EVs by 2014 (Anonymous 4). The electric vehicle is not all that it is cracked up to be. How green is the electric car? The only way for an electric car to run is on a charged battery. There is no place to plug-in the battery without using some kind of coal or natural gas powered energy source, unless of course you live in the Northwest. Some pro-electric vehicle critics say nuclear and renewable energy sources are enough to charge the new wave of electric cars. In his article The Dirty Truth about Plug-In Hybrids, researchers found that nuclear and renewable energy account for less than a quarter of the U.S. electricity supply. The energy is simply used up so quickly on routine tasks, which leaves no green energy to charge the fleet of electric vehicles (Moyer). Ultimately, the carbon that is not emitted through the exhaust would be given off by the power plants that charge the vehicles. The electric vehicle indirectly pollutes the environment. Another potentially troubling issue with the coming generation of electric and plug-in vehicles is whether their lithium-ion battery packs will be recycled, Mike Ramsey, Wall Street Journal columnist, said (Ramsey 2). Not very many recycling companies are willing to take the large battery packs used in cars. In attempts to combat the environmental backlash that battery packs may have, GM and

Wilson 5

Nissan have teamed up with ABB and Sumitomo Corp., with hopes to use the old batteries as backup storage in the energy grid (Ramsey 2). When it comes to analyzing the cost of electric cars at the pump, clearly the consumer would save money. However, a car is more than just what it cost at the pump. Currently, the electric vehicle has a higher sticker price than most petro or diesel cars (Moyer 54). For example, the Nissan Leaf is priced at $33,600, and the Chevrolet Volt is starting at $41,000, according to Consumer Reports. Consumers will also be able to lease these vehicles for roughly $350 per month (Anonymous 2). This may be due to the technology needed to produce the cars or simply because the electric vehicle has a low availability right now. Do not forget that electric vehicles are driven by battery pack. These battery packs are not going to last forever. On average, a battery must be replaced every two to three years. However, this depends on how frequently a person recharges his or her pack; the more you charge, the more batteries you buy. The decision to buy an electric vehicle is a very complicated process. In the long run, if enough people commit to the EV, carbon emissions would decrease. The ultimate choice falls upon the consumer. He or she must decide if the investment and lifestyle adjustment are worth decreasing his or her carbon footprint.

Wilson 6