With the recent revelation of the new Tesla Model 3 by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a great number of people (myself included) are excited about arguably the world’s most iconic electric car suddenly becoming that much more affordable. The billionaire CEO has stated that the Model 3 should retail for around $35,000 USD, almost half the cost of its predecessors. But with all this hype around Tesla’s new model, we should take the time to consider just how much better electric cars are for the environment as compared to regular cars.
The New Tesla Model 3. Image Taken From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordique/15303083874
While electrics cars directly emit little to no greenhouse gases (GHG) and do not consume petroleum to function, there are some common misconceptions. For example, despite the fact that the car itself barely emits GHG, it still has to be charged and the power plants supplying the electricity do emit GHG. Considering this, research has found that the overall GHG impact from electric cars are currently almost at the same range as conventional vehicles.
Of course, these numbers differ between types of power plants depending on what resources are used to fuel them. The power consumption charging electric cars using natural gas-powered plants are found to have the same GHG impact as regular cars. Coal powered plants are said to emit even more based on the current energy efficiency of the current electric car models.
Does this mean that electric cars are actually not helping the environment despite their extra cost? No. Despite the fact that current data exhibits how environmental impact of electric cars may not be ideal, as more research is poured into the electric car industry, the energy efficiency of the cars itself will improve. A prime example of this is Tesla, they recently claimed that they have a new battery that offers a 400-mile driving distance before requiring a recharge. This is twice as much as their previous 200-mile range and shows exactly how fast technology is progressing. Scientists predict that by 2020, the environmental impact of electric cars could become 16% lower than the current levels.
So are electric cars a miracle that can solve all our environmental issues in a heartbeat? No. Rather, they are a work in a progress and like a good wine, will ripen with age. The electric car industry is one that we should support because rather than being a short term solution, it is a long term investment that will pay off. The next time any of you have a spare $50,000 lying around and decide to buy a car, get a Tesla instead of a Porsche.
