There is an exponential boom seen in the purchase of electric vehicles in the last decade. With companies such as BMW, Tesla, Audi, Chevrolet, Honda, BYD, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Kyburz, Mahindra, Mercedez-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan and similar major automobile giants, one has got plenty of options to choose from. Considering the environmental degradation caused by diesel and petroleum vehicle, shifting to an electric car seems like an excellent option. It is a suitable option as it requires less maintenance in comparison to any vehicle run by fossil power energy. This can help the owner save tons of money and effort in the maintenance of the vehicle.
We call the electric vehicles as our personal (Ev)s. Electric vehicles seem to be the most convenient mode of transportation keeping the well being of the environment in mind. All thanks to its sustainable nature. The sustainable nature of the electric vehicle depends on how much electric power the vehicle can produce.The recent advancements in this industry make it possible to run a vehicle on 100% electric power. Thus, maximizing the eco-friendly nature of the car. You can calculate the sustainability of an electric car on the basis of a few factors such as: the energy source that charges the car’s battery, the tailpipe emissions, the wheel-to-wheel emissions, the car’s overall efficiency.
Looking at the news, one may claim that electric vehicles seem to be very eco-friendly. Despite all the positive incoming news, it is important to keep in mind that electric vehicles do have a carbon footprint and some harmful effects in terms of extraction of lithium and other metals. Lately, due to excessive requirements of lithium in car batteries, daily usage electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers and in electric cars, all of these combined has led to an 58% rapid increase in lithium mining.
The rise in lithium mining can be dangerous to the environment as it releases harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. To sustain this huge rise in lithium mining,we require a large amount of water for the proper extraction of the minerals. This requirement in return, depletes the aquifer levels, thereby adversely affecting the environment for a long period of time. To tackle this issue, researchers are tirelessly toiling and working for a much sustainable methods to discover lithium from water.
The main reason for switching over to electric powered vehicles is to cut down on the overall carbon emissions from the vehicles. The act of “being green” includes driving a vehicle which has low levels of greenhouse gas and pollutant emission to use zero emission electricity sources wherever possible in your day to day life. Keeping climate change in mind, electric cars are far efficient than those cars which run on fossil fuels as they release less carbon into air.
The eco-friendliness of an electric car is also measured using the “wheel-to-wheel” emissions as a measure. The wheel-to-wheel emission ratio takes the greenhouse gasses and the air pollutants released and to that the energy being produced to power the electric vehicle. Taking the wheel-to-wheel emissions into account, it has been found out that majority of electric cars release 4,450 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent every year. The gasoline cars emit double the amount of carbon dioxide annually. One good way to minimize the wheel-to-wheel emissions is to use solar panels for your electric vehicle. Installing solar panels in your vehicle will help in cutting down the money spend on gasoline power while simultaneously taking good care of the environment. The money you save covers up the the cost of installation of solar panels in the long run.
Along with environment friendly nature, electric cars are also highly efficient. Records suggest that a conventional gasoline vehicle can convert approximately 17 to 21 percent of the energy into power. Whereas, electric vehicles can convert approximately 59 to 62 percent of the energy into power. It is clearly visible that electric vehicles have far more advantages in comparison to any fossil fuel powered vehicle.
While opting for an electric vehicle, the customers do have a look at the MPGe i.e miles per gallon equivalent. Miles per gallon energy tells the distance a vehicle can travel in the energy produced by one gallon of gasoline. The average MPGe of a typical gasoline car and an electric car is quite comparable. But the efficiency has increased as compared to the past recorded values.
Electric vehicle changing on street parking with graphical user interface, Future EV car concept
By now one can say with confidence that electric cars come with both benefits as well as disadvantages. In comparison to the traditional cars that run on gasoline, electric cars are more efficient in all terms. Companies like BMW, Tesla , Mercedes-Benz etc, are investing highly on advanced fuel economy. So, one can easily be thrilled knowing the huge potential Evs have in future.
