Hannah Elliott

The earth’s average temperature is so high plants get scorched and cannot grow. The ozone is gone. The seas have risen and taken over much of the earth’s land mass. The birds, fish, and mammals have all gone extinct. The earth is no longer suitable to sustain life. How did this happen? Was it our fault? The answer may be hard to swallow, but if we continue on the path we’re on, the downfall of the earth will be on our hands. The air pollution we create will be the death of our world as we know it. Now, how do we stop this from happening? In order to reduce our environmental footprint, we need to stop using so many gas-powered cars and start moving toward the future of electric vehicles.

Arguments relating to electric cars are often disputed because their elements are not fully understood. However, this issue is becoming increasingly more relevant in today’s world as we urgently need a way to reduce our air pollution. As the amount of air pollution grows, more and more people are at risk for several different infections, diseases, and even death. According to the Global Burden of Disease, an international organization that examines trends across population estimates mortality from major diseases and their causes, states, “more than 155,000 U.S. deaths in 2015 were related to pollution.” In that same year, 38, 300 people died in car related crashes. More people die from pollution each year than from car crashes. This is an alarmingly high number and cannot be overlooked.

The electric car became a reality in the 1800s as there were several breakthroughs in technology, energy, and electric motors. In the mid 19^th century, practical electric cars were being invented. William Morrison is responsible for the the first electric vehicle produced in the US in 1890. This invention sparked the interest of electric cars in the people. Just a few years later, electric cars made up one third of cars on the road. However, at the same time gas-powered vehicles were being introduced to the people in addition to the electric car. This was a tough competitor for the electric vehicle as Henry Ford’s Model T car was more available and affordable to the people. At this time, Americans were interested in traveling and exploring, but the electric car was not a practical option for this lifestyle as it had a very limited range. Interest in the electric car was rapidly decreasing.

By the 1960s and 70s the price of oil was increasing and the amount of gas was decreasing. In this time of need, the energy department looked desperately for a solution and concluded it was time to start supporting research of electric vehicles. But even then, EVs had drawbacks linked to range and price. Interest in electric vehicles sparked again in 1990 when the government got involved in trying to help the environment. This included the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 and the 1992 Energy Policy Act. Unfortunately, gas prices were low and appealing and with few visible negative effects of the damage of pollution, people were not concerned with taking action.

In the 21^st century, technology is improving and people are being drawn back to the EV as gas prices are up and carbon emissions are fatally high. The electric vehicle has come a long way, starting in 1890 with a range of only 14 miles, to reaching a range of 40 miles in 1970, then the EV1 was introduced in 1990 with a range of 80 miles, and finally today the Tesla claims to have a 300-mile range. The US Department of Energy is still working to improve the electric car, as it has finally begun to realize the necessity of reducing carbon emissions from traditional gas powered cars. It is now time for us to realize the same need.

To better understand the argument for reducing pollution through the use of electric cars two terms you must understand are greenhouse gases and global warming. Merriam Webster defines greenhouse gases as gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat in the atmosphere leading to deadly high temperatures. Based on multiple sources, global warming is defined as an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature due to a build up of greenhouse gases that causes negative corresponding changes in climate. As the temperature is rising, ice in the artic is melting, causing sea levels to gradually rise. The ice melting is also displacing and killing many species in that area. According to National Geographic, the polar bear, a threatened animal, is being significantly affected by global warming. The polar bear hunts on the artic sea ice, but as temperatures are climbing and ice is forming later in the year and melting sooner, the bear has no way to find food. The polar bears have no where else to turn, and are disappearing because of global warming.

In order to prove the United Sates ought to move toward using electric vehicles to protect the environment, I will confirm the following two arguments: the use of electric vehicles will benefit the American population by reducing air pollution and the use of electric cars will improve the state of our environment by eliminating emissions. I will then refute four common counterarguments: powering electric cars will contribute to more air pollution than gas-powered vehicles, the use of electric cars will damage the economy, electric cars are not practical because they cost too much, and electric cars are not practical because they have a short range.

My first confirmation argument is the use of electric vehicles will benefit the American population by reducing air pollution. The amount of pollution in today’s world has become a significant and threatening issue and the condition of our planet is unhealthy. Due to this increased amount pollution, the health of Americans is at an extreme risk. According to the US National Institute of Health, lung function during childhood determines lung function in adulthood. “Reduced lung function is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.” In this review, they explain the effect of traffic related air pollution (TRAP) on lung function in children. The authors concluded that exposure to TRAP during the childhood age range affected lung function development. This is a significant discovery and there are many studies that show the effects of living in air pollution. Environment International investigated the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study to learn more about the link between TRAP exposure and asthma and lung function. Their findings state,

For those who never had asthma by 45, living <200 m from a major road was associated with increased odds of new asthma that persisted from 50 to 53. Asthmatic participants at 45 had an increased risk of persistent asthma up to 53 years if they were living <200 m from a major road, compared with asthmatic participants living >200 m from a major road.

This means that living near a major road and being in direct contact with TRAP negatively affects health and can be seen through the development or worsening of asthma later in life. A study recently completed at UCLA also suggested exposure to TRAP is linked to negative health effects. In this pilot study, a positive association was noted in adolescents who had prolonged exposure to traffic related air pollution and alterations in gut microbiome which is linked to abnormal glucose levels. These results suggest a strong possibility that high levels of nitrous oxide from car emissions may directly lead to the development of diabetes.

These tragedies are the repercussions of our own actions. The cars we drive are one of the largest contributors to pollution in the US. The health and well-being of Americans are being negatively affected by their cars and the overwhelming amount of pollution they produce.

According to the [Environmental Protection Agency], motor vehicles collectively cause 75 percent of carbon monoxide pollution in the U.S. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) estimates that on-road vehicles cause one-third of the air pollution that produces smog in the U.S., and transportation causes 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. has 30 percent of the world’s automobiles, yet it contributes about half of the world’s emissions from cars.

The number of cars Americans have does not match the amount of pollution in the country. We are creating more pollution than we should be. There is an imbalance and the United States needs to realize this amount of pollution is unacceptable and irresponsible and take action to minimize our negative impact on the earth.

One way Americans can make a difference is through the use of electric cars. With technology becoming a bigger part of the American life, electric-powered vehicles are becoming more practical and come with several evident benefits. They are quieter than other cars and thus reduce noise pollution as they don’t have noisy engines, they cost less to maintain in the long run since they don’t need the routine fixes like oil changes that gas-powered vehicles require, and they can accelerate quickly, providing a short ride. The average American changes his oil around three to five times a year, paying around $45 each time. This means the average American is paying around $135 to $225 each year on their gas-powered car. With an electric car, the average American would undoubtedly save money. 

Most importantly, electric cars do not have exhaust systems, which completely eliminates the pollution created by gas-powered cars such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The US Department of Energy says, “EVs and PHEVs running only on electricity have zero tailpipe emissions.” This will result in cleaner air for current and future Americans to breathe, reducing the negative effect on health significantly.

 My second confirmation argument is the use of electric cars will improve the state of our environment by eliminating emissions. With the use of electric cars, we will no longer be dependent on fuels and can begin preserving our natural resources like gasoline. The gasoline that has historically powered all vehicles will be conserved for other uses such as construction equipment, generators, and vehicles like semi-trucks that are required to travel extremely long distances in short periods of time. Such conservation and wise stewardship will lead to a more efficient future in which we are not dependent on a non-renewable resource. 

In addition to the people being affected by the air pollution emitted from cars, our earth is also suffering. One of the most severe consequences of pollution is global warming. Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. The Union of Concerned Scientists confirms,

Collectively, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. About five pounds comes from the extraction, production, and delivery of the fuel, while the great bulk of heat-trapping emissions — more than 19 pounds per gallon — comes right out of a car’s tailpipe.

The high concentration of these greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide emitted from cars is contributing to a climate change. The release of more and more gases like carbon dioxide into our atmosphere is trapping heat at the earth’s surface. This causes the average temperature of the earth to rise every year. NASA concludes,

The planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years, with 16 of the 17 warmest years on record occurring since 2001. Not only was 2016 the warmest year on record, but eight of the 12 months that make up the year — from January through September, with the exception of June — were the warmest on record for those respective months.

The climate is changing and temperatures are rising. The debate should no longer concern the validity of global warning, but the steps we must take to stop it.

In referring to global warming, the members of Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental organization made up of 700 scientists, economists, and policy experts who find solutions that benefit people while protecting natural systems, reported that “motor vehicles play a major part in what scientists call the most serious environmental problem the world faces.” The Center for Biological Diversity, an organization working to protects plants and animals, states, “The U.S. transportation sector is responsible for about a third of our country’s climate-changing emissions.”

According to National Geographic the effects of our pollution are catastrophic; glaciers and artic ice are shrinking and melting and “animals and plants are already vanishing from parts of their range that are now too hot- extinctions come next.” The adélie penguin is one animal being affected by climate change. These Antarctic birds feed on krill which are tiny crustaceans who live on the underside of ice sheets. As the temperatures are rising, the krill have no where to live and are dying. This impacts the penguins fatally as they have no food and are forced to migrate further to find other food sources. By spending more energy on finding food, the penguins are not as successful at breeding and raising young. Another example of a species dying at the hand of global warming is coral. As air temperatures rise, the oceans warm, affecting aquatic life. Because the coral is sensitive to high water temperatures, it begins to bleach, ultimately leading to death. According to the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, the two bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 have affected approximately 932 miles of the Great Barrier Reef. This leaves only the southern third of the reef unharmed.

NASA also agrees the earth is being affected by pollution. “Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner.” This negatively affects the animals that we were given dominion over by influencing their climate and when and where they get food, which is often leading to starvation. We are currently killing living, breathing, innocent creatures and something must be done. By using electric cars, there will be no more gas emissions, air pollution will decrease, the climate will stabilize, and all species will once again flourish.

Genesis 1:28 reads, ^“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” As Christians, we are commanded by God to be good stewards of the earth. This means we are here to take care of the earth and do all we can to protect it. It is time for everyone to put themselves and their selfish desires aside and take a step back to see the bigger picture. We are killing our planet and many people are not willing to change their ways to make a difference. In order to be good stewards of God’s creation, we must reduce our carbon emissions that are slowly destroying our world, and one way we can fulfill this mission is through the use of electric cars. Many people reject electric cars because of a few commonly believed flaws. However, not only are these cons false, they are not legitimate reasons to shun electric vehicles.

My first refutation argument is against the common belief that powering electric cars will contribute to more air pollution than gas-powered vehicles. Many people believe the pollution created by power plants to power electric cars will be even more fatal than that from our current gas-powered cars. However, we are not confined to the traditional air polluting power plant. There are ways to produce energy without the negative effects of pollution. “If you are looking to generate as close to zero well-to-wheel emissions as possible, not all electricity sources are created equal. If your primary motive in purchasing an electric vehicle is to be green, you should consider powering your car with a renewable energy source that you can generate at your home.” This can be sources such as solar, wind, or geothermal energy. By replacing power plants that convert fossil fuels to energy with natural and renewable energy, electric vehicles will be powered by clean energy sources and will not contribute to air pollution.

The second counterargument I will refute says the use of electric cars will damage the economy. This statement is false. By switching to electric vehicles the US will actually be saving money. “The fact is, we spend or lose an insane amount of money, time, productivity, and quality of life from burning oil-based fuels. All of this strikes into our economy and extracts money or comfort, pleasure, and time that we can try to quantify.” Millions of dollars are wasted every year on elements related to gas-powered cars such as air pollution, negative health effects, and military in order to protect the oil in foreign countries. For example, the “cost of outdoor air pollution” in the US simply in terms of premature death was estimated to be $500 billion in 2010, with about half of that cost coming from road transport. Again, that is the estimated cost only from premature deaths — it doesn’t include the costs of asthma, cancers that people survive, heart attacks that people survive, etc.

In 2016, we spent about $155 billion importing oil. “The amount of money we spend importing oil is alone enough to compel a societal shift to electric transport, but the economic benefits related to health, climate stability, and national security make electrification of transport one of the most obvious solutions we should be pursuing at the quickest pace possible.” Electric cars will reduce air pollution by eliminating toxic gases like carbon dioxide. This is benefit the overall health of Americans as they will no longer be inhaling such high concentrations of unhealthy gases because their air will be cleaner. “The National Academy of Sciences found that air deaths from pollution could be reduced by 70% when electric cars dominate the market, and can use renewable sources of electricity, such as solar, geothermal or hydrological power.” The climate will stabilize as temperatures stop increasing because the greenhouse gases emitted from gas-powered cars that trap heat in the atmosphere and reflect the heat back on earth will be eliminated. Lastly, one way electric vehicles will improve national security is by reducing the money used to supervise and protect the oil in Middle Eastern countries used to fuel our gas-powered vehicles and using it in other areas. By using electric cars, Americans can begin saving lives, money, and overall boosting the economy.

The third counterargument I will refute is electric cars are not practical because they cost too much. When the technology of modern electric cars first hit the market, this was true, as it is with any new car, but today’s electric cars have been on the market long enough they no longer sit at the costly price they used to. In fact, some electric cars sell for the same or even lover prices than new gas-powered cars. “The cheapest ‘family size’ EV on the market appears to be the Leaf or the Toyota Prius plug-in, both of which retail for roughly $30,000. That’s actually lower than the average car’s new price of roughly $32,000.” Another  cheap electric vehicle on the market is the Toyota Prius Prime which sells for $27,100 and takes about 5 hours to fully charge. In addition, there is already a second-hand market for electric cars and used vehicles go for as little as $15,000 which is more practical for the majority of the population.

A similar argument against electric vehicles is the overall price of maintaining an electric car will be higher than that of a gas-powered car. This however, is false. In fact, by owning an electric car in place of a gas-powered car, one would actually save money as electricity is less expensive than gasoline. Today, it would cost around $9.75 for an average gas-powered car with a 23.6 mile per gallon efficiency to drive one hundred miles. In high contrast, it would only cost $3.48 to travel one hundred miles in an electric-powered vehicle as the national average price is only twelve cents per kilowatt. This is significant factor considering gas prices are steadily on the rise. By buying and operating an electric vehicle, not only will you be helping the environment, but you also will be saving money.

The fourth refutation I will focus on is the counterargument electric cars are not practical because they have a short range. This is because they must be charged more often than a gas-powered vehicle needs to be refueled. However, this factor does not actually play a significant role in the life of the average American. The battery of an electric vehicle is surely sufficient enough for the life of most people today. The battery of an electric car almost matches the typical range of a gas powered vehicle. “The current king of EV battery range is Tesla’s 85-kilowatt-hour-battery Model S, which can drive for up to 265 miles on a fully-charged battery. The average new vehicle sold last year averaged 24.1 miles per gallon, and many cars can hold at least 12 gallons of gas, which works out to a typical minimum range of about 290 miles.”

Many people do not drive enough in one day to run down the battery of their electric car. “The average car in the United States is on the road for only 40 miles each day, and only 7% of the cars in the country travel more than 100 miles in a given day.” This proves that electric vehicles have a practical range for the majority of the country.

If this still isn’t enough, our world is rapidly advancing. Our technology is progressing and is always becoming better. In 2006, the MacBook computer made by Apple had a battery life of only 5 hours. With advancements, the MacBook Pro doubled the battery life of its former model at 10 hours. This situation is true for the battery life of an electric vehicle as well. “So much money has poured into battery development over the past few years that a range of intriguing breakthroughs could soon double or triple a typical battery pack’s capacity within the next few years, and greater capacity gains could well be in store a decade from now.” The charging time for electric cars has also been a deterrent in the past but it has improved significantly. Charging time is specific to the model of the car and the charger being used.  “All models have a new 7 kW on-board charger as a standard feature. In the US, charging time is an estimated 2.5 hours — about twice as fast as the predecessor.” An EV can be charged with a regular 120-Volt outlet, which it the most practical way. They can also be charged with a 240-Volt charger which provides a faster charge. Other options include at home charging ports and super stations offered at certain Tesla locations.

In fact, there are already many places to charge an electric car in the U.S. There are websites that have locations of charging stations in particular areas. In the Hampton Roads area, there are several places that are equipped with EV charging stations. There is a station in the City Center garage, there are certain churches such as the Huntington Mennonite Church that are equipped, many car dealerships like Casey Chevrolet, the Yorktown Library, and even a Wholefoods Market.

Many technologies seemed limited and doomed to fail when they were first developed. The railroad was a folly, until it wasn’t. Air travel wasn’t possible, until it was. Horses were better than the automobile, until they weren’t. Human ingenuity has a way of proving its doubters wrong, and the electric car’s problems are by no means permanent. Like all other problems, they’re just waiting to be solved.

The technology in our world is improving. A few years ago, electric cars being used on the roads was a far-fetched idea. Today, they are used every day all over the world. With time, all the kinks of electric cars will be worked out as seen with other things in our history, like the airplane. Was it perfect when the Wright brothers first took flight? No, it wasn’t, but over time it evolved and is now one of the most dependable sources of travel. The electric car has already been improved and will continue advancing.

Another solution to reducing emissions is the hybrid car. Hybrids have a regular internal combustion engine which is powered by fuel and an electric motor. This means that you can use gas or electricity to power a hybrid car. These cars are ideal for people who normally travel around 50 miles a day but want to have a backup just in case or have the desire to travel. Most hybrids have a 50 mile range on electricity and a 350 mile range on gas. There are also certain hybrids like the Toyota Prius, for sale at $23, 475, which shuts off the engine when the car stops. This saves our world from the gasses emitted while cars are stopped on the road. Toyota says, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, “the Prius Family is estimated to have reduced 11,794,335 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the atmosphere.” Hybrids eliminate the bulk of daily emissions and are a practical choice because you are not only dependent on electricity.

Our actions are amounting to detrimental consequences not only to ourselves but also our world, and we need to take action before it is too late. Using electric vehicles is just one way we can be good stewards of the earth as God commanded. There may be some drawbacks of this method of transportation, but are you really going to use them as an excuse to destroy the only world we have? In time, the cons of electric vehicles will be reduced and possibly even completely eliminated. Even if we can partially decrease our air pollution it would be a significant change for our environment and America’s health. It is time for the United States to start using electric vehicles to reduce air pollution in order to save the world.

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