Introduction
The transportation industry is going through the revolutionary substitution of standard vehicles to the seemingly more sustainable and certainly more technologically advanced electric models. The shift is exemplified by the expansive attention of the public to Tesla, an electric vehicle company offering the most nuanced features that do not require fuel to operate. However, while the change looks promising from the perspective of eradicating air pollution generated by transportation measures, there are certain limitations correlating with the new advancements that are to be discussed. In this paper, air pollution will be discussed in relation to internal combustion engine vehicles. Moreover, electric alternatives will be assessed in terms of environmental impact, benefits, and negative aspects linked to the said measures.
Air Pollution Caused by Car Emissions
Air pollution is a significant threat to both human health and the well-being of the environment. Moreover, a major threat is pollution generated through transportation emissions. According to researchers, vehicle emissions are relatively low, yet the number of vehicles contributing to emissions of CO into the air makes up for 30% of all CO pollutants (Dey and Mehta 476). It is certain that the government limits and guidelines implemented to reduce environmental damage have facilitated positive results. An example is the most polluted city Teheran where the state does not necessarily enable organizations and individuals to have more sustainable ways (Delavar et al. 99). On the other hand, one of the states with the least polluted air, Virginia, has reached such results due to the government’s involvement (Colmer et al. 575). Air pollution correlates with multiple health risks, including respiratory conditions, inflammation, asthma, and lung cancer (Yang et al. 33). One of the ways state and federal agencies manage to reduce the damage is through the promotion of electric vehicles (EV) as alternatives to Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEV).
EVs vs. ICEVs
Internal combustion engine vehicles operate as heat engines using fuel. Such cars are the most common and require fossil fuels to operate, namely gas or petroleum. As the fuel is combusted, it releases pollutants, namely carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide (Turner et al. 460). The aforementioned gaseous emissions are one of the most common air pollutants, which is why the aim is to reduce such damage by switching to EVs. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, are electrical charge and do not require fossil fuels. On the other hand, they require nickel, lithium, and cobalt-based batteries, the proportions of which vary depending on the weight of the car and its features (Xu et al. 2). The aforementioned batteries are certainly less damaging in regards to air pollution yet have their limitation when it comes to the sourcing and recycling of said elements.
EVs: Pros and Cons
Vehicles such as Tesla are seen as the solution to aim emissions generated by ICEVs. However, it is important to examine whether the automobiles are, indeed, harmless. As mentioned prior, the batteries containing lithium and cobalt are the aspects that researchers are most apprehensive about. On the one said, the exploitation of said elements does not necessarily correlate with health risks but is linked to other challenges. Sourcing of the materials requires mining actions, which is linked to air pollution, and recycling of the batteries used in Tesla is not entirely plausible currently (Xu et al. 3). Moreover, electric vehicles are usually more expensive, limiting potential consumers in regards to their abilities to invest in an EV (Fassio et al.). On the other hand, EVs are linked to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, making the vehicles more sustainable and less harmful from an environmental and human well-being perspective (Requia et al. 64). Moreover, the features present in Teslas are similar to those in regular ICEVs but without the negative aspects such as the air pollutants emitted from the used fuels
Conclusion
It is certain that the current environmental damage and air pollution levels are partially the result of the extensive use of vehicles that run on gas. However, since electric vehicles have started to become more and more common in regard to consumer demand, the question is whether they can reduce the damage and revolutionize the transportation industry. Based on current research, EVs are actually more sustainable from the perspective of greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, the use of cobalt and lithium is questionable due to the sourcing of the materials and the lack of technology to recycle the batteries. However, once the technology of repurposing or recycling said elements are in place, no limitation will exist regarding the evidence of EVs being more environmentally friendly than ICEVs. Thus, further research is needed to not only assess ways of creating entirely environmentally friendly EVs but also determine how to make automobiles more accessible and usable for the public. The current market of EVs suggests that the vehicles have the potential to become a complete replacement for ICEVs. Yet, the challenges related to the components within the batteries, the need for charging stations, and the high prices postpone the major shift.
Works Cited
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