Automobile companies such as Tesla, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, and BMW are on the forefront of the manufacture of Electric Vehicles. While some of the automobiles being manufactured are entirely electric, a great number are manufactured as a hybrid with the ability to operate on both gas and electricity alternatively. The manufacture of electric vehicles is seen as one of the major ways towards a sustained environment by limiting the production of carbon and other greenhouse gases (Klöckner, Nayum & Mehmetoglu, 2013).
Conventional cars are known to be high contributors of carbon emissions to the atmosphere through the combustion of gas. This leads to environmental pollution and an increase of the build of greenhouse gases. Cars that utilize electricity or electric cars are considered to be environmentally friendly despite their higher pricing compared to conventional cars (Hawkins et al, 2013). Electric powered cars make use of rechargeable batteries for both powering the car and headlights as well as the wipers. For the ability of an electric car to become fully environmentally friendly, the generation of electricity has to be friendly as well. For instance, the generation of electricity from hydro sources is considered highly eco-friendly than other sources such as coal. Another important aspect of the electric car and levels of emissions is the population density and the level of forestry and agricultural activities in different areas. Some areas and countries use eco-friendly electricity generation while others make use sources that have a high-level contribution to greenhouse gases. These differences have an imbalanced effect on the effect of electric cars to the environment given the different localifties and countries.
Research has established that electric vehicles are over four times more efficient than conventional vehicles that use gasoline. The level of carbon (CO2) emissions is 60% lower in electric vehicles compared to gasoline vehicles. In countries where renewable energy is utilized such as New Zealand, the efficiency of electric vehicles increases to above 80% fewer emissions of carbon (iv) oxide. The level of energy consumption is also lower in electric vehicles as compared to conventional vehicles (Hawkins et al, 2013). This is due to the low levels of photochemical oxidation and particulate matter in their lifecycle. In addition, electric vehicles are considered to be quieter than conventional vehicles whose engines are associated with noise pollution. Energy security is also considered one an important benefit of electric vehicles (Lee, Speight & Loyalka, 2014).
The electric car may not be friendly as people think considering many perspectives. Though the cars themselves may not emit greenhouse gases while on the road, the debate comes in on how they are made. Many research conducted across the world have shown that electro cars may be polluting the environment than the conventional car looking on their production technique. For instance, materials used to make the lithium-ion batteries are believed to emit a lot of carbon dioxide in the air when they are being made. The key areas which are emphasized much on are the electricity used in the manufacturing plants to produce the car and how the batteries are manufactured also. Some experts and researchers argue that a lot of power is needed to produce an electric car compared to a traditional car. Thus, the researchers conclude that, during the production of the car, many green gases are emitted to the air which doubles the gases emitted during the production of a conventional car (Klöckner, Nayum & Mehmetoglu, 2013).
What reduces the value of the electric car being environmental-friendly are those companies that are using coal in the production of the cars. UK and China mostly use coal at a great percentage to produce electricity they use in their plants. This translates to a great amount of carbon dioxide emitted to the air which people are not focusing much on. Also, considering that the cars are using batteries which will need to be exposed after a certain period, they are not environmental-friendly (Odum, 2016). There are no procedures which guide how the battery will be disposed of. The number of electric car users is increasing day by day which means in future many batteries will be exposed to the environment posing a great danger to individual health. There are no ways for now which have been discovered showing how the batteries in those cars will be recycled. Materials also used to make the battery are mostly copper and cobalt. This shows that some mining has to take place to get those minerals. Some of the countries renown to be producing those minerals include China and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cases of environmental concerns have been heard in those countries several times as the mining company cut down trees to get a room for mining which in turn affects the biodiversity causing an imbalance of ecosystem. Also, rivers are polluted as toxic substances are disposed of them affecting plants and animal health.
Though some people argue that oil producing companies may be paying some pseudo researchers to ruin the electric car market by giving research reports on how the company which manufactures them emit green gases, scientists maintain that every machine has to produce a gas what matters is the amount released to the air. An electric car can be very environmentally friendly if it is produced in the right procedures by companies whose electricity come from hydro. Countries like Norway are regarded to be very environmentally friendly as they use hydroelectric power to run their car production (Holtsmark & Skonhoft, 2014).
It is therefore important to consider several factors before we arrive at the view that electric cars are the best solution to the environment. They have proven to be as they use batteries to run them which does not emit green gases. It has been justified that electric cars can be very effective for environmental sustainability but further research needs to be conducted on how they are produced and the materials used to make the battery how they are obtained and assembled (Lee, Speight & Loyalka, 2014). We should not be blinded to judge the effectiveness of the car while on the road but also consider the factors mentioned. It is true electric cars can be the solution towards the environmental sustainability but they far from reaching that goal. Companies should replace coal with water in the production of the electricity used in the car production. Ways to recycle the electro cars batteries should be unveiled for the cars to be regarded environmental friendly.