Are we Heading for a More Electric Future?
With electric vehicles rising every single year in both production and sales, it is only a matter of time before they fully replace gas-powered vehicles. Experts are eyeing the years between 2040-2050 as the most expected date for electric vehicles to rule the roads. What does this mean for the environment, car companies, and laws surrounding electric cars and vehicles?
What does Electric Vehicles Mean for the Climate?
The biggest impact that electric vehicles would have on the climate would be the reduction of carbon emissions from cars. This issue is a major factor for climate change and one that can so easily be fixed by the addition of electric vehicles. Gas-powered cars are the cause for air pollution and the constant rising of global temperatures. Now switching to EV cars would not make this problem magically go away, but it would be a major step in the right direction and would leave a positive impact on the environment. If you switch to an EV car from a gas-powered car, your climate pollution would be cut by about two-thirds.
Other benefits for driving a EV vehicle includes the reduction of noise pollution as EV cars are much quieter compared to a powered vehicle, and the creation of many different jobs at different manufacturing companies. Moving to EV cars could not only create a positive impact on the environment but also the economic growth of our country.
Is Every Car Manufacturer Going Electric?
With the current rise in electric vehicles wouldn't it be obvious for every car manufacturer to go electric? Well it isn't this simple. The biggest reason that not all car companies are going electric is due to supply chain blockages. These blockages of essential and key items for the creation of EV vehicles is the number one reason why some companies are still producing only gas-powered vehicles. Along with the high price of actually creating the EV car, there are still some obstacles for some companies that are blocking them from going all-electric.
Recently however, there have been some new car manufactures that focus solely on releasing just EV cars. Rivian is one of the most successful examples and car companies that have just recently released their first electric vehicles these past few years, and they have been very successful and productive with their materials and how efficiently they make their vehicles.
Are There any Laws for Electric Vehicles?
You may be asking yourself, if we want to take the climate change issue seriously, then why don't we create some laws that force people to switch to EV cars kickstarting the next generation of transportation? Well California has actually already created a law very similar to this. Part of California's Advanced Clean Cars II, "all new passenger cars, trucks, and SUV's sold in California will be zero-emissions by the year 2035".
There are an additional 13 states (including DC) that have started to create laws that will begin to mandate only electric vehicles in the future. This is a major change that will be only continuing to increase among other states in the future as not only electric cars evolve, but as climate change worsens as well.
Citations
- https://www.progressive.com/lifelanes/future-of-electric-cars/
- https://www.nrdc.org/stories/why-electric-vehicle-revolution-can-benefit-everyone?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAi_G5BhDXARIsAN5SX7qT9T_N5cF5P7d9TMvKv0K9vQkksR-cUBu94sWNhE_Vz5aFE58Jwm4aAusCEALw_wcB
- https://www.vox.com/technology/23713040/ev-car-dealer-dealership-electric-sales-gm-ford-tesla-rivian
- https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/cars-and-light-trucks-are-going-zero-frequently-asked-questions#:~:text=As%20part%20of%20the%20Advanced,zero%2Demission%20vehicles%20by%202035.
- https://www.ncsl.org/energy/state-policies-promoting-hybrid-and-electric-vehicles#:~:text=To%20date%2C%20at%20least%2013,emission%20vehicle%20(ZEV)%20standards%20requiring
Credits:
Created with images by • pengzphoto - Close up of the Hybrid car electric charger station with power supply plugged into an electric car being charged. • Yeongsik Im - Charging electric vehicle in parking lot • NVB Stocker - Power supply for electric car charging. Electric car charging station. Close up of the power supply plugged. Green grass blur background • Naypong Studio - Charging an electric car, Future of transportation