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Is your electric vehicle really that environmental ?
Electric vehicles were first thought of as being something in the distant future. but thanks to human ingenuity electric vehicles are currently being tested, trialled and produced by nearly every car manufacturer worldwide.
The idea of an electric car is not as new as car manufacturers marketing departments would have us believe. The first full sized electric vehicle was invented by Robert Anderson in 1832 in Scotland. Following on from that in 1835's America Thomas Davenport created the first electric locomotive, which was the first practical method of mass transportation using electricity. After years of growing popularity Ferdinand Porsche started the Porsche empire in 1898 with a car driven by electric motors on it's wheels which subsequently turned into the worlds first hybrid with the later addition of a combustion engine.
In 1908 however, the popularity of electric cars came to an abrupt halt when Henry Ford created the first affordable internal combustion engine car, the Ford model T.
Fast-forward to the current day, and the environmental impact of manufacturing the modern-day electric car however presents contradictions about it's environmental credentials.
Electric vehicles, and their batteries, require unique materials sourced from all over the world. The extraction of these materials from our planet, the production of the required components, and their subsequent shipping around the world all have a far greater impact on our planet than the production of a standard combustion engine vehicle.
Additionally, currently electric cars are ultimately powered by the coal, natural gas, and nuclear sources used to generate the electricity they need to charge. Whilst we are slowly moving towards greener energies, all forms of electricity generation have an environmental impact on our air, water and land.
With Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk estimating that electricity consumption will double if the world’s car fleets are electrified the environmental impact of electric vehicles is only going to increase.
The idea of an electric car is not as new as car manufacturers marketing departments would have us believe. The first full sized electric vehicle was invented by Robert Anderson in 1832 in Scotland. Following on from that in 1835's America Thomas Davenport created the first electric locomotive, which was the first practical method of mass transportation using electricity. After years of growing popularity Ferdinand Porsche started the Porsche empire in 1898 with a car driven by electric motors on it's wheels which subsequently turned into the worlds first hybrid with the later addition of a combustion engine.
In 1908 however, the popularity of electric cars came to an abrupt halt when Henry Ford created the first affordable internal combustion engine car, the Ford model T.
Fast-forward to the current day, and the environmental impact of manufacturing the modern-day electric car however presents contradictions about it's environmental credentials.
Electric vehicles, and their batteries, require unique materials sourced from all over the world. The extraction of these materials from our planet, the production of the required components, and their subsequent shipping around the world all have a far greater impact on our planet than the production of a standard combustion engine vehicle.
Additionally, currently electric cars are ultimately powered by the coal, natural gas, and nuclear sources used to generate the electricity they need to charge. Whilst we are slowly moving towards greener energies, all forms of electricity generation have an environmental impact on our air, water and land.
With Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk estimating that electricity consumption will double if the world’s car fleets are electrified the environmental impact of electric vehicles is only going to increase.
Until human ingenuity comes up with the next best solution we will have to convert our practices to using electric vehicles.
However, at Become Carbon Negative we will continue to advocate for the reforestation of the planet to counteract the damage caused by the production and operation of vehicles whether electric or otherwise.
However, at Become Carbon Negative we will continue to advocate for the reforestation of the planet to counteract the damage caused by the production and operation of vehicles whether electric or otherwise.
