Sullivan Switching to Electric Cars Sustainable Approach Discussion & Responses

There are two parts to this assignment. Answer this discussion post and then respond to three students using no more than 3-5 sentences. I will post the second half of the assignment after the discussion post has been answered. When responding to the student’s post please add valuable information. Do not repeat what they have posted  This week we learned about air pollution and the accumulation of greenhouse gasses.  We know that burning fossil fuels (like gasoline in automobiles) is a major contributor of greenhouse gasses.  In April the EPA proposed changes to the regulation of emmissions that seem poised to push the production of Electric Vehicles (EVs) way up (see this news story from CNN).For the discussion this week I’d love to hear your thoughts, supported by research, on whether or not we should be giving up on alternative fuels (like biofuel) and going all in on EVs.  A few questions to consider:Are EVs really going to be much better for the environment than gas engines if we are still generating most of our electricity with fossil fuels? Would investing in biofuels be a better long term solution, or will all energy be generated by renewables soon enough that we should just convert fully to EVs?  BRANDON-All forms of transportation will have a carbon footprint if we continue to use fossil fuels for production. EVs do not emit greenhouse gasses but emissions are created in the process of building and charging the vehicles. EVs use lithium powered batteries that also require cobalt and nickle to produce them. These resources are only obtained through mining and this act can only be completed with the use of fossil fuels. As a result of these efforts the production produce more carbon dioxide than the production of a gasoline powered car. After production the electricity required to power these vehicles come mainly from coal operated power plants resulting in more fossil fuel use. Without knowing the lifespan of electric cars it is hard to say if their carbon footprint will be much less than combustion powered cars because if there is a need to produce more their carbon footprint would become much larger. Although EVs produce no emissions while running it is hard to say if they will be much better if we continue to use fossil fuels during production of the vehicles and to generate electricity. Investing in biofuels is a good long term solution if renewable energy isn’t enough to generate power or production without the use of fossil fuels. Boxfuls are produced by renewable energy resources which allows them to replace fossil fuels. The use of boxfuls along with renewable energy resources could be used in tandem to replace fossil fuels. The production of biofuel is growing and many people are investing in the idea so used in conjunction with our renewable resources we can limit the need for fossil fuels. “Are Electric Vehicles Definitely Better for the Climate than Gas-Powered Cars?” MIT Climate Portal, climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/are-electric-vehicles-definitely-better-climate-gas-powered-cars. Accessed 12 June 2023.HANNAH-Would investing in biofuels be a better long-term solution, or will all energy be generated by renewables soon enough that we should just convert fully to EVs?EVs is an electric vehicle and many people believe they are a better solution and should replace cars. EVs are seen as a way to protect the environment and 90% of sources I check also agree that they are better for the environment because it believes that they cut carbon emissions but in reality, EVs are just as bad for the environment compared to normal gas cars. For example, “Producing electric vehicles leads to significantly more emissions than producing petrol cars. Depending on the country of production, that’s between 30% to 40% extra in production emissions, which is mostly from the battery production,” said Florian Knobloch, a fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (Choudhury, 2021).  The battery of an EV car is creating extra carbon emissions for producing it. The battery can’t be recycled or reused so each time it burns out, it would need to be replaced, and more production, and that creates more carbon emission. Another point is that the US doesn’t have enough energy for cars to charge if everyone switches to EV cars. The amount of energy it takes to recharge these cars is just as bad as normal fuel cars, the only difference is that I could wait two hours for my car to charge VS 10 minutes to fill up. The US is a country where EV cars wouldn’t be able to function. It’s such as bug country that’s covered in woods, deserts, and mountains that there would need to be a charging output every 10 miles. Not only that there are some states where these cars couldn’t handle being in. Such as the colder northern states, these EV cars can’t withstand the environment of Michigan or Alaska and are not heavy-duty like we need them to be. The cost of these cars isn’t reasonable for the average middle-class family. Most EV cars cost a lot more than a used vehicles. In conclusion, from what I have learned, the transition from fuel cars to EVs wouldn’t be better for the environment or practical for many Americans.Choudhury, S. (2021). Are electronic cars green. CNBC.SARAH-Hi there! Personally, I am a tad conflicted by the debate of EVs vs. Gas cars. We are so used to gas cars and so far, none of the stories about EV’s are really painting them in a good light. Breakdowns, frequent charges, not good for long distances. Look on all sorts of car-based media (forums, Youtube, blogs, social media platforms, etc) and you are bound to find negatives about EV’s. While I am no expert, it doesn’t look good. Now, sadly I do not have an article to prove this next statement, but from various people I have found out that just the production of the batteries that go into EV’s expel alot of toxic gases and creates alot of dangerous pollutants. I will try to find something to back that up. I feel as if EV’s can be a good thing, but I personally do not believe we are ready, instead, we should look into other forms of fuel and still try to step away from fossil fuels. We can not be dependant on it forever, so why not start now with other alternatives. There might be planty of ways to create cheap fuel, we just need to find it!Thank you for reading! Have a great week! -Sara