"It is foolish to buy a gasoline car because its value will drop whilst the rest of the world will turn to electric vehicles " Elon Musk
Fortune Business Insights predicts that the electric cars market is predicted to grow from $287.36 billion in 2021 to $1,318.22 billion in 2028. This growth might be the catalyst to help save the irreversible damage caused by climate change.
Climate change could be irreversible by 2030, currently, globally we are using more of the earth’s resources than can be renewed. Transport accounts for 30% of global carbon emissions, and 72% of these emissions come from road emissions. Electric vehicles have a 43% lower carbon emission than standard diesel emissions. Electric vehicles are paving the way to a much healthier, greener, and more efficient future in this climate change crisis.
How do electric cars work ?
Electric vehicles are powered by an electric motor containing a rechargeable battery which can be recharged at battery charging points that utilise energy from the grid. There are 3 types of electric cars available to drive :
(BEVs) Battery Electric Vehicles. These vehicles are powered by solely an electric motor charged by rechargeable battery stations. These vehicles produce zero emissions.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) These vehicles have electric motors and use fuel sources. The electric mode component is activated when braking or cruising when driving.
(PHEVs) Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles run on a combination of electric motors and petrol or diesel engine. These vehicles can be driven in electric or fuel mode, the mode can be chosen by the driver as they wish to drive.
Currently, there are 660,000 electric cars on UK roads, and is only set to rise further as their popularity becomes more widespread through marketing and sustainability commitments. At the COP26 climate conference, the UK and its partners committed to the launch of a ‘Zero Emission Vehicles Declaration’ to convert all new cars and vans to zero emissions by 2035 to meet the Paris Agreement Climate Goals.
How electric cars reduce the climate change crisis :
Electric cars are viewed as the transport of the future but how will they help this ever-growing climate change crisis? Simply, they produce no tailpipe C02 emissions when driving as they are purely powered by electricity. Just one electric car can reduce the emission of 1.5 million grams of C02 emission. That is equivalent to a return flight from London to Madrid. With the decrease in C02 emissions produced by electric vehicles, areas with concentrations of these types of vehicles can expect to see, better air quality, reduced noise pollution, and increased greenery, and can be manufactured using recyclable materials.
Pros of driving an electric car :
As well as a greener global footprint, electric vehicles have many other pros to them:
No road tax or congestion charge - you can expect to pay no road tax or congestion charge especially if you live near London, helping you to save those few extra pounds per year perhaps you could use to invest in other green activities?
More cost efficient to run - the average running cost of an electric vehicle is much lower than a fuel run vehicle. A home charge of an electric vehicle would cost £15.00 and at a petrol station charging point, the average price for a 30-minute charge is approximately £19.00, making electric vehicles less of a burden on the piggy bank.
Modern design - through innovative and creative design electric vehicles are generally a lot more modern than your traditional fuel cars making them sleeker, quicker performing, and more modern. After all, who doesn’t want to drive a beautifully designed car?
Cons of driving an electric car :
Does this all sound too good to be true? Unfortunately, there are some cons to electric vehicles:
Shorter driving range - most electric cars can only drive 193 miles on one full charge, making long journeys a little more challenging and time-consuming.
Less availability of charging points - as they are predominantly a new type of technology, charging points are not as widely accessible as need to be, making travel risky if planning on a long journey,
Charging waiting time - waiting for the car to charge can add on hours to a single journey, which may not be suitable for all those who are a little impatient!
Electric car brands:
With all that being said, most car brands now offer electric vehicle models, even some famous and luxurious brands such as BMW, Mercedes, and Tesla. Why not be stylish and save the planet at the same time? Even some of the big companies such as Uber are aiming to use all-electric vehicles by 2030. A majority of towns now offer electric buses after the government's 2020 £ 5 billion ‘golden era’ investment in electric bus networks. 19 local council authorities submitted considerations for a £ 50 million grant from the UK Government to convert current fuel buses to fully electric-run buses to improve the air, sleep, and living quality in UK towns.
To improve your carbon footprint and save the irreversible damage caused by climate change, would you consider a fully electric car or a hybrid car? If still not fully convinced, click here to find out more about how driving an electric car can stop air pollution and save your future.