When I purchased my sparkling blue Ford Fiesta in 2011, I decided then I’d never want another car.
And yet, another vehicle has caught my eye, or rather another type of vehicle has caught my eye.
I’m proud to say my hatchback is no gas-guzzler, getting about 37–40 miles to the gallon. But the Fiesta is powered by gasoline and lately I’ve taken to noticing the electric vehicles cruising along the roads in my neighborhood and en route to my office.
I’m also reading forecasts that say electric cars could be less expensive than gasoline-powered cars as early as 2025 and trends reports that gas-powered cars could be antiques in 20 years.
Back in 2011, before acquiring my current ride, my wife and I considered the environmental benefits of electric vehicles but cost was a concern, as was access to charging ports in my community — a Florida island.
At the time, I was aware of only one site within 10 miles of home with a charging station.
I can’t say there’s an abundance of EV charging ports in my community now, but there are a few more and we’re likely to see many more as a result of consumer demand, government incentives and commitments from the auto and energy sectors.
A Net-Zero America analysis determined the growth in the number of public EV charging stations is likely to be greatest between now and 2020, with a national increase of about 2,000%.
And, from 2030 to 2040, almost every state could see an increase of 300% to 340% in charging stations.
Meanwhile, the range of electric vehicles keeps getting better — 170 miles or more per charge, more than enough for everyday driving.
Keep that in mind as you think about the climate solutions to come with the shift to electric vehicles, which are explored in a new research brief from Climate Central.
The big promise is the shift would allow us to shrink the largest emissions source in the United States — transportation, which accounts for 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Light-duty gas-burning vehicles contribute about 53% of those transportation emissions.
Additional points in the brief:
• Reducing the number of gasoline-burning vehicles on the road reduces levels of harmful exhaust substances — particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds.
• Improvements in air quality as we adopt electric vehicles could avoid as many as 165,000 deaths by 2050.
• Transitioning to electric vehicles creates new manufacturing jobs, as well as jobs that involve upgrading electric systems and installing charging ports.
So should my Fiesta need a sibling — or seek retirement — I might be looking for something sparkly blue that gets 200 miles per charge rather than gallon.
Did you know?
In gas-powered or diesel-powered vehicles, about 12%-30% of the fuel goes into moving the auto and the rest is lost as heat.
Electric vehicles may currently cost more to purchase but they generally cost less to own due to savings on repairs and fuel.
Charging electric vehicles from fossil-fuel generated electricity causes emissions at the power plant, but electric vehicles are cleaner because they are about 3–4 times more efficient than gas-powered vehicles.
SOURCE: Climate Central Solutions Brief: Electric Vehicles
Read the brief here.
