Electric cars definition essay ENG PDF

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1 ENG-106 September 9, 2018 Unseen Emissions: The Downfall of Electric Vehicles

The automobile world is changing fast, moving from conventional combustion powered vehicles to their technologically advanced electric powered counterparts. This want for change becomes clear through the global desire to reduce the negative effect on the environment caused by humans and the pollutants we release through the air through means of vehicles, factories, power plants, and numerous other forms that continue to damage the ecosystem. Combustion powered vehicles are damaging to the environment due to their Carbon Dioxide (Co2) emissions. The Co2 emissions are known to pollute the air, damage our ozone layer, which in turn is seen as a main cause for global warming, acid rain, and other such damaging factors to the environment. Many refer to this phenomenon as our carbon footprint. As our carbon footprint on earth becomes more and more apparent throughout the years, many are scrambling for ways to reduce their own carbon footprint. Many see electronic vehicles, which are vehicles ran entirely by electric power, as the next step in this battle, but electric vehicles are not going to reduce the carbon footprint because the criteria to reduce polluting emissions is equal to or worse than that produced by alternative vehicles. From using precious and limited materials, to the harmful methods of producing batteries, or even the simple act of charging these vehicles. After researching the full story of the life of an electric vehicle, as well as what is required to produce and use them, the damages they cause the environment are unmistakable. The heart of an electric vehicle lies in the batteries that power it. The main source of power comes from the battery packs underneath the vehicle which power the main drive motors using a transmission and a half shaft, just like many conventional front wheel drive vehicles. This massive battery pack does not run everything on the vehicle though, there is an auxiliary battery exactly like that on a combustion vehicle and that powers the interior and exterior

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accessories such as dashboard, cabin lighting and more. These batteries are primarily lithium based and rely on a differing mix of cobalt, manganese, nickel, graphite and other components. Though some of these may not be considered rare metals, they are often found in third world country’s such as the Democratic Republic of Congo which supplies over 73% of the worlds cobalt supply (Deign, 2018, para. 2). The Democratic Republic of Congo is known for its history of poor enforcement of human rights, easily seen through the children they have working this corrupt business and this mass cobalt operation is causing damage to the environment of this already damaged country. The Democratic Republic of Congo is affected by Congolese cobalt mining in forms of water pollution, due to the dust and waste water, deforestation, and ground pollution. All these issues stem from cobalt mines, and the reason for this all comes down to price. Cobalt has been found in numerous places across the earth, but the DRC has a large quantity of this metal and can supply it cheaper than anywhere else. The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world, so residents are willing to take any work they can get; having the largest cobalt supply in the world makes it a readily available work opportunity. The next issue arises when these batteries reach their end of their life. Electric car batteries only survive a life span of 8-10 years (Gordan, 2018, para.2) and disposing of these batteries is a severe environmental hazard, especially when disposed of improperly. Not only do the batteries carry a risk of giving off toxic gases if damaged, but also are known to leak sulfuric acid and lead if not stored properly (Wright, 2006, para.2). These leaks can easily seep into the ground as the battery corrodes, which results in poisoning the dirt, water, and if left near an ocean, they can be lethal to marine life. What many do not take into consideration when examining the pros and cons of electric vehicles is what we will do with the mass amounts of

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batteries that will inevitably need to be disposed of after only 8 years. There has yet to be an easily accessible and reliable way for individuals or companies to dispose of these dead batteries, and many don’t bother, or merely don’t have the time to properly dispose of these batteries, which often leads to illegal dumping. The largest concern facing electronic vehicles is the vast amount of energy used through every facet of the vehicle’s life. From the very beginning of production, electrical vehicle companies use over twice the amount of energy used to create a conventional automobile (Fischer and Keating, 2017, para.9). After it has been produced, owners of these vehicles must charge them regularly, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics has estimated that “each kilowatt hour of battery capacity involves 125 kilograms (276 pounds) of CO2 emissions. For a 22-kilowatt-hour battery for a BMW i3, this translates into almost 3 tons of CO2” (Fischer and Keating, 2017, para. 10). Essentially, this massive amount of CO2 can be viewed as a house; “a ton of Co2 would fill a modest one-story ranch house with a footprint of 1250 sq. feet and an average height of 13 feet” (Chiodo, 2012, para. 6). Now imagine 3 of these ranch houses, and then translate this into how many electric vehicles are produced each year. Right now, there is roughly 750,000 electric vehicles in the United States. This translate to roughly 2,250,000 tons of Co2 produced in America due to these vehicles. This incredible figure can be brought back to the ranch house example, meaning these electric vehicles cause 2,250,000 ranch houses full of Co2. Energy doesn’t come free and costs the ecosystem by producing emissions from the factories supplying that energy. This massive use of energy is the electric vehicles’ downfall, but many will argue for the short-term benefits of switching from a conventional vehicle, such as saving money on rising gas prices, government subsidies, as well as reducing their personal carbon footprint. If large masses

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of people switched to electric and hybrid vehicles, pollution would go down for a short period thus reducing the carbon footprint during that time, and if enough people switch from their combustion vehicles it could make a noticeable difference in the carbon footprint, but this would not change the consistently increasing factory and energy pollution. This is due to the difference that gasoline vehicles will emit pollutants during its lifecycle, but not so much during production and re-fueling, whereas electric vehicles disperse pollutants more so during production and charging time. Electric vehicles will often come with substantial subsidies in many countries, but all these benefits are a mere shadow compared to the true pollution caused during the production of these vehicles, as well as the inhumane collection of resources required to create the batteries which power them. Another point to be taken into consideration is that if we move forward with the normalization of electric vehicles, this may not affect people during their lives. What many forget is that this will only put it off to the next generation, who will have an even tougher time finding the solution to the worlds CO2 problems. It will benefit society more to focus research on finding another alternative to electric and combustion vehicles. Electric vehicles are not the solution to the CO2 induced environmental crisis. Unless there is a way to reduce electric vehicle production emissions, as well as make batteries and energy safer to the environment, we must continue looking towards new alternatives to conventional vehicles as well as electric vehicles. Electric vehicles may seem appealing from a broad perspective, but when one digs deeper into what makes this form of transportation possible, they will find that it is far from perfect, and is worse for the environment, human life, and wildlife than combustion vehicles in the long run. Electric vehicles may seem like they are a step in the right direction towards reducing the carbon footprint, but the technology required to truly reduce the carbon footprint is not available yet, so until a new solution is found, society

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must not put all their effort into producing electric vehicles, but to researching new forms of clean energy that can be used for transportation.

References: Fischer, H., & Keating, D. (2017, June 04). How eco-friendly are electric cars? | DW | 04.08.2017. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/how-eco-friendly-are-electric-cars/a-19441437 Gardiner, J. (2017, August 10). The rise of electric cars could leave us with a big battery waste problem. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/aug/10/electriccars-big-battery-waste-problem-lithium-recycling Wright, J. (2006, April 26). The negative side of batteries. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2006/apr/26/autos/hy-wheels26 Deign, J. (2018, June 05). Reliance on Congo Cobalt Grows Despite European Discoveries. Retrieved from https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/congo-cobalt-reliance-grows-despiteeurope-discoveries#gs.QXDQS=E

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Green, J. (2018, March 13). Effects of Car Pollutants on the Environment. Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/effects-car-pollutants-environment-23581.html Gordon, J. (2018, April 05). Exploring Electric Vehicle Battery Life, Degradation, and Developments. Retrieved from https://www.fleetcarma.com/exploring-electric-vehicle-battery-lifedegradation-developments/ Chiodo, J. (2012, June 13). What Does a Ton of CO2 Look Like? Retrieved from https://buildingenergy.cx-associates.com/2012/06/what-does-a-ton-ofco2-look-like/...