My Worthy Opponent is Wrong

When the topic of electric cars comes into question, there is often no doubt about the benefits of owning one. People tend to hear the words “electric” and automatically assume that it means better for the environment. The media likes to play into this false reality of electric cars being less environmentally harmful as a marketing tactic to convince the average consumer to make the switch. The same information has been advertised since the being of the electric car movement almost 20 years ago. Since then, new information has been collected about how clean electric cars actually are. However, there is no media coverage on these new findings, as it may steer a potential customer away from purchasing. Despite what big companies say, electric cars are not completely clean and are still responsible for CO2 emissions. 

The idea that electric cars are better for the environment because they do not rely on gas burning is a viable argument to make. For years car companies have been pushing the narrative that electric cars are the future and everyone needs to switch over as a way to reduce air pollutants. This is the story in many Americans’ heads as it is the only side they were exposed to. If an electric car manufacturer promoted the idea that electric cars were not as clean as they claimed them to be, it would drive customers away.

But when the other side is considered, one can clearly see that the big car companies are leaving out vital information about their products. While yes electric cars may be slightly better for the environment than traditional gas-powered ones as there is less CO2 being produced, there are still pollutants being expelled with an electric vehicle, just maybe not in the same way. The Alternative Fuels Data Center, created by the U.S. Department of Energy, states that “all-electric vehicles and PHEVs running only on electricity have zero tailpipe emissions, but electricity production, such as power plants, may generate emissions.” Car manufacturers never mention energy production as it goes against their main claim. 

A leading player in the automobile industry, KIA, has started to get into the electric vehicle game. Like many other car manufacturers, they are trying to keep up with the everchanging industry and get into electric car production. There is a fear in these companies that they will ultimately lose their customers if they do not start transitioning over from gas-powered cars. 

That being said, KIA needs to let their customers know how clean their new cars are. The KIA website has a section titled “Are Electric Cars Better?” which gives suspecting customers frequently asked questions about their vehicles. The entire page only relays information in favor of EVs and never mentions the other side. KIA claims that EVs “produce no or fewer tailpipe emissions than internal combustion engine cars. Gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles have been blamed as one of the major culprits for air pollution.” While this is true, the next part of the article claims, “using renewable energy for charging an electric car can contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions even further.”

 As a customer reading this article, I assume that KIAs electric vehicles release emissions, and when renewable energy is used for charging, those emissions decrease even more. The points contradict each other and have the customer wonder if their car is better for the environment. 

While many EV purchasers do their research on which model is best for them, they often need to research the amount of emissions that model will produce. The common misconception regarding EVs that is almost always overlooked is where the energy for charging comes from. 

The fact that electric vehicles, in general, do produce fewer pollutants is a known fact. However, depending on the area in which you live, the energy used for charging is only sometimes clean. In the most recent breakdown of Electricity Generation by State, the primary energy source per state is very diverse. In states like Arkansas, Colorado, and Florida, their primary energy sources are coal and natural gas. These are the most common energy sources that also create the most fumes. In states that rely on non-renewable energy, the energy at an EV charging station would be produced using fossil fuels. This goes against the entire point of EVs not contributing to air pollution. 

In contrast, in states such as Maine, Oregon, and Vermont, the primary energy source comes from renewable sources like hydroelectric and solar. Electric cars in places where renewable energy is the primary source will have a chance of being completely free of all emissions. 

People need to understand the many components of the energy used during the lifespan of an electric vehicle. It is not simply no there are zero emissions connected with electric cars, as so many people tend to think. 

References

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Emissions from Electric Vehicles. (n.d.). Alternative Fuels Data Center. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_emissions.html

Are electric cars better? (n.d.). Kia. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.kia.com/dm/discover-kia/ask/are-electric-cars-better.html

Electricity Generation by State | November 2022. (n.d.). Choose Energy. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.chooseenergy.com/data-center/electricity-sources-by-state/