"According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration,
most of the nation's electricity was generated by natural gas,
nuclear energy, and coal in 2020. Electricity is also produced from
renewable sources such as wind, hydropower, solar power, biomass,
wind, and geothermal. Together, renewable energy sources generated about
20% of the country's electricity in 2020."
That means the other 80% comes from nonrenewable
sources such as natural gas and coal! So despite there
being 0 emissions from the use of electric vehicles, there
is still emissions released to create the electricity they
depend on.
00:21
On top of that, charging is incredibly inefficient, taking at least
30 minutes to go from 0 to 80% with a super charger. But that's if
the charger actually works. Nearly a quarter of the chargers in the California
Bay Area were found to not work, and only 61% of ChargePoint's chargers
around the country were found to be fully operational, with the other 39%
not working at all.
00:34
The initial purchase price is also much
more expensive, with EV's often costing at least $7,000
more than their gas powered counterparts. Fuel and
maintinence may be cheaper for EV's, but the initial
purchase price is difficult for the average person to justify.
00:46
Battery Replacement is also incredibly expensive averaging from
$4,489 all the way up to $17,658. In comparison, it cost on average
$5,000 to replace and engine and another $5,000 to replace a
transmission, but its incredibly uncommon for both to fail at the same
time, and they can often be rebuilt for significantly cheaper.
00:56
Finally, EV fires, although rare, are incredibly dangerous. They burn hotter,
faster, and require much more water than a combustion engine vehicle
fire would. They also have a chance to re-ignite several hours or even
days after they've been controlled, making them a huge hazard for shops
and salvage yards.
01:03
So, should you buy an electric car? There's no definitive answer, but it would be
smarter to wait a few years to see how the technology evolves. We've got a good
start, but we're still very far away from being able support the majority of the
population using EV's. As the technology improves throughout the years, the
purchase of an EV will become more justifiable.
01:14
All references cited at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oCzm4l5Dg
ZFqsUMtIhjVn1KEmY6R9qPKNI9YGLeGLrU/edit
All GIFS, images, and music courtesy of Moovly.