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The winter of 2020 was my first winter in Texas. I was excited, as it was a new place for me. It snowed that year after a whole 30 years! We had to go without any electricity for 3 to 4 days, people in Texas faced many hardships without electricity. The summer of 2022 was the second hottest summer Texas had witnessed! We couldn’t go out anywhere for summer break because of the harsh temperatures! The amount of 100* days in Texas have more than doubled over the past 40 years, hurricanes have been more intense, and many more. I didn’t understand why this was happening, then I realized, global warming.
I picked Electric Transportation for this challenge because I want to persuade people to switch from motor vehicles to Electric cars, otherwise known as EVs. Cars produce about 41% of the world’s air pollution, and my goal is to reduce that, even if it’s only by a little bit.
Why EVs?
Electric vehicles have less carbon-footprint than normal cars, and while EVs might cost a little more than gas cars, they have a lower maintenance cost. As of now, you don’t need to pay any road tax for EVs, but by 2025 the government plans to put full road tax on them. You don’t need to buy gas for them, and while there may not be many charging points right now, the White House has invested $135 billion to build 500,00 EVs charging stations nationwide. EVs do lose some of their battery in winter, but that’s mainly because of the driver’s need for warmth. In gas-powered vehicles heat is created by fuel, while in Electric Vehicles heat is created by the battery of the car itself.
How EV’s Help the Environment
There are many ways EVs help the environment, one of them is that they have a lesser carbon footprint. Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses produced by our actions. One of the main sources of carbon footprint in America is driving, and if we switch to EVs, the total amount of greenhouse gasses we produce will reduce. Current day EV batteries produce two to three times less carbon footprint than they used to a couple years ago. EV manufacturers are setting guidelines regarding carbon footprint to their battery producers. EVs are new to us, and companies do not yet know the best way to create batteries, so sometimes, it does get a little dangerous but they are working on it, and the process has gotten steadier than it used to be.
Emissions produced from EVs are 43% less than the emissions produced from diesel powered vehicles.
The pollution coming from gas powered vehicles isn’t limited to the smoke we see coming from their tailpipes, the extraction of the oil, turning it into fuel, and then shipping it to gas stations produces a lot of pollution too. EVs do not need tailpipes, because they don’t produce exhaust.
Excluding the limited use of fuel in charging stations, EVs don’t produce many emissions after being made. Most emissions are produced while making the batteries. Gas powered vehicles produce emissions every time their engine turns on. An average gas powered vehicle produces 5-6 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year.
Texas Electric Vehicle Policies
According to the Texas Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, this plan was made in the spring of 2021, Texas is planning to build EV charging stations, not farther than 50 miles from each other. It also mentions that the stations will include four Combined Charging System (CCS) connectors and Type 1 ports, which charge four vehicles at the same time. Power of the site will not be less than 600kw, capable of charging at least 150kw per port across four ports. It also states that maximum charging power per port should not be below 150kw. These have all been approved, and are ready to be put in action. They still have to discuss the topic of when there is a possibility of a gap between charging stations that is farther than 50 miles.
California Electric Vehicle Policies
California wants to reduce the pollution caused by transportation by switching to EVs. To support this, California wants to build 250,000 charging stations by 2025, and predicts the need for 1.2 million chargers by 2030 for light-duty vehicles, meaning that there will be chargers available at parks, hotels, public buildings etc. They also plan on building 570,000 chargers for medium, and heavy-duty vehicles. They have invested more than $194 million dollars to install medium and heavy-duty chargers, and more than $109 million dollars for light-duty chargers. The California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) funded by California Energy Commision (CEC), and executed by Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), encourages building EV charging stations, and is working with local managements that support the need of Level 2 chargers. The CEC’s goal is to show the public results of the chargers installed by CALeVIP.
Conclusion
I like how detailed the Texas Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan is about how far away the chargers should be, and the amount of power they should have. I also think that the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project is more detailed about how many chargers they want to build, and when they should be finished with them. The governments are trying to help the future generation have a better future, one without so much pollution.
I think we should adopt EVs because in the long run, they’re only going to help us. They will help make our environment much cleaner, and save the animals who are on the brink of extinction. Did you know there are only 1,846 pandas left in the world? EVs can help us save pandas, and many more animals, some of which won’t even be alive for your grand-children to enjoy! Help the environment, let the next car you buy be an EV!
Ananya Roy
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