1

Student Name:

Instructor Name:

Subject:

Date:

Thesis statement

Technology has varied many things in the life of the human being. The innovation has

shifted social and ecological ramification. The technology has a huge influence in our life.

We are surrounded by technology in our society. That is why the social and mechanical fixes

have neglected to completely take care of the natural issues. The air pollution has increased to

such level the respiratory diseases have great ratios in our society. The technology

developers, without even thinking the bad impact of technology on society, are producing

technologies that are not environment friendly. The electric vehicles are one of the solutions.

These cannot completely counter the negative effects of the technology but somehow can

manage to scale down the bad effects by reducing the poisonous gases in the air. These

poisonous gases are present in air due to the burning of fossil fuels giving Carbon contents in

air.

Introduction

The aspects discussed in this paper would be the historical perspective of

contamination of air due to the engines of vehicles. The struggle to make the engines that

produce less carbon contents as exhaust can be seen in history. But the engineers or scientist
 2

are still not able to produce engine that reduces this problem to very minute level. How

California and France did passed mandates to promote the use of hybrid cars? The

environmental impact of electric vehicles by using batteries on society. How much carbon

content get reduced by using electric vehicles. Norway is the undisputed world pioneer on

electric autos, run solely off the country's overflowing hydropower asset. China’s automakers

are hardly household names in Europe or the U.S., but industry watchers are speculating that

may change. The cost and benefits of using electric vehicles are also discussed in this paper.

Are the batteries enough to counter the bad effects of engines? These are some chunks of

information that will be discussed in this paper.

Historical perspective

All the industrialized social orders confront the issues of air contamination which are

created by the engine vehicles. Air contamination had been one of the biggest problems in the

past and still due to use of fuels it is present in our society. All the industries are releasing

harmful chemicals in the air without the proper treatment. Secondly, there is no check and

balance of these pollutants. Many programs have started to counter this problem but no one

got succeed to great extent. Similarly, many programs started for zero carbon engines

production but due to many reasons, this cannot be completed. The carbon contents are major

but due to burning of fuel many other contagious contents got in air that we cannot even

imagine their bad effects. Secondly, they are the cause of ozone depletion. Ozone depletion

and green house effect has just damaged our land and societies. The infra-red radiations

coming from sun are the main cause of man cancers. The climate is changing abruptly. The

temperature of earth is increasing day by day and glaciers are melting. All this is happening

due to air pollution and engine vehicles are one of the major causes of these problems.
 3

The investigation shows that California’s strict steps to empower the making of new

mixtures and energy component is much appreciable. This step is positive as compared to the

French approach. They both have passed legislations for this problem and have promoted the

use of electric or hybrid cars to fight against the problem of air pollution. The California’s

policy makers have strict limitations of making zero emissions vehicles and giving strict

deadlines and giving penalties to the people who are not working in accordance to rules. The

policy makers also called for complete participation of public, media and academic groups to

promote the use of hybrid cars. The French was not upto that level. However, irrespective of

the differences, both the countries failed to put large number of electric vehicles on roads.

Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles

The impact of using electric vehicles can be positive and negative. If one thinks the

electric vehicles only produce the positive effects on the environment then he should change

his mentality. First of all, we will discuss the positive effects of electric vehicles and then we

will move towards the negative effects.

The running cost of the electric vehicle is much low as compared to fuel. The cost of

charging a vehicle is three times less as compared to one kilometre done by the fuel engine

vehicle. The maintenance of electric vehicle is cheaper because there are less moving parts in

it as compared to fuel engine vehicles. The fuel injection system, radiation system and

exhaust system is not required. Also batteries that wear out can be replaced but these batteries

mostly work till 8 years. Some countries have a policy of giving some saving to the users of

electric vehicles. They give concession of registration fee and make electric vehicles exempt

from stamp-duty. They cause less pollution to the environment by not releasing harmful gases

in air. Secondly, they can further give advantages by being charged form renewable sources.
 4

Source like solar energy instead from grid. Another way is purchase GREENPOWER that

helps in reducing the emission of greenhouse gas even if we charge it from grid. There are

some electric vehicles that are made up of eco-friendly materials. These vehicles are good for

health as well because the burning of fuel cause emission of the carbon contents giving

harmful effects to our lungs. The energy security of a country can be enhanced by using the

electric vehicles.

Now, we come towards the negative effects of electric vehicles. Devonshire Research

Group, an investment firm that specialized in valuing tech companies, dug into data of Tesla

and concluded that Tesla's environmental benefits may be more publicized than warranted.

Devonshire isn't saying that Tesla cars are emitting greenhouse gases from invisible tailpipes

but it is arguing that Tesla and all electric vehicles (EVs) pollute the environment and emit

carbon in many other ways. Each of the EV’s life has negative impacts on the environment,

and while they are not as obvious as a tailpipe pumping out fumes, that doesn't mean they are

less damaging. Let's start with the basic fact that, the electric car doesn't need any gas, but

still it might get its energy from burning carbon. It mostly depends on how the local grid

produces electricity.

On the other hand, a Tesla spokesperson states that "An electric car like Tesla Model

S has almost four times lower Carbon dioxide than an equivalent gas-powered car". The math

gets trickier when you include other forms of environmental damage. The electric car need to

be light which means it includes a lot of high performing metals. For example, Lithium in the

batteries is not heavy and conductive, that is how you get a lot of energy without adding a lot

of weight. Other rare metals are sprinkled throughout the car, mostly in the magnets that are

in everything from the headlights to the on-board electronics. But those rare metals come

from somewhere, often from the mines that destroy our environment. So, one can say that
 5

EVs may have a comparative advantage over the traditional petrol or diesel-run cars but they

are not completely safe and useful for the environment.

Electric vehicles in Norway

In recent times, Norway is the world’s leader in using the electric vehicles. It runs

almost exclusively off the country’s hydropower source. According to an estimate, from the

cars sold in Norway, every third car is either electric or hybrid. Experts are of the view that in

coming years, this would rise to 40 percent. In UK, the electric vehicles are just 2 percent of

sale. On the other hand, refrigeration is growing by 38 percent. But Norway is leading the

country by adapting the electric vehicles. This all has been possible in Norway by the backing

of their government. The government shaves off the import cost and VAT as well. This helps

in saving thousands of pounds to citizens. Also many other incentives have been provided to

promote the people to buy the electric cars as compared to fuel engines. Electricity has been

made cheap so people compare the cost of diesel and petrol with electricity and prefer electric

cars. Secondly, their government has wave off the road tax to much extent and will be

making this tax to zero in coming years.

Electric vehicles in China

China’s automakers are hardly household names in Europe or the U.S., but industry

watchers are speculating that may change. This is because the Chinese government is putting

it’s full behind the promotion of using electric vehicles. Their sales have been doubled in

2017. The annual sale of electric vehicles around the world is 1 million. This includes more

than half in China. Their government is trying to make 7 million electric vehicles on road by

2025. China is doing all this not just because of pollution and climate change but they are

worried about the dependency on importing oil. This is something like the vulnerability to

their economy. China is trying to end production and sales of automobiles powered by
 6

gasoline and diesel in future. China is giving incentives for nation to purchase electric

vehicles. China hands a 10 percent tax rebate to new purchasers. It is also imposing laws such

that the cars that give carbon emission would not be allowed to be on road by 2019.

Costs and Benefits

The reason behind the Quebec government’s program named Drive electric in 2012

was the cost and benefit of electric vehicles. . The program provides a rebate to all the

electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles according to the capacity of the electric battery.

However, there are some costs and benefits to the program. The issues of government include

the buying of petrol and diesel and the reduction in pollution. This can be achieved by the use

of electric vehicles. Today, the main issue is the greenhouse effect which can be reduced by

reducing the carbon content in air. This issue can be resolved by replacing fuel engines by

electric batteries. This is the purpose of rebate program that people by hybrid or electric cars

and the use of petrol and oil should be reduced to such lower level that the major problem of

climate change can be handled easily. This will help not only Quebec but also will help the

areas adjacent to the Quebec. For Example, forty six percent of the beneficiaries of PH rebate

and fifty percent of beneficiaries AE rebate bought a cleaner car because of the presence of

the rebate program developed in 2012 and it really has revolutionized.

Are electric vehicles the alternative solution to fuel problems?

Tesla opened a new Gigafactory at the end of July in Nevada and it is getting a good

response from people and media. Only 14 % of the massive structure has been built, with the

rest of the project to be built by 2020. According to Tesla, the production of battery cells will

start in 2017. By 2018, the Gigafactory would be producing about 500,000 Model 3S per

year. The Gigafactory is a wonder for the modern technology as Tesla CEO Elon Musk puts

it: "In addition to being cool, it offers unprecedented economic of scale for lithium-ion
 7

battery production, lowering the price from $190 per kWh in April 2016 to an estimated $130

per kWh once complete".

However, the question then arises that according to Musk it is a big statement but

does the world agree? The answer to this question is really complicated because according to

statistics, the company has not sold as many cars as it was supposed to. For Example:

According to JussiPikkarainen, "Tesla only sold about 50,850 vehicles in 0.07 % of all the

cars sold globally, whereas other companies like Nissan-Renault, the manufacturer of Nissan

LEAF sold about 100,000 EVs vehicles between August 2015 and August 2016. There are

some other companies like Ford, BMW, and Toyota, essentially big companies in the market

are working on hybrid cars apart from their traditional line of cars.

One of the solutions to the problem can be battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that

mostly depend on the battery pack to power the engine. Their range is limited. However, the

biggest problem with BEVs is the lack of charging stations and the time it takes to fully

charge the battery pack. Another problem with BEVs is that they are expensive. Scientists

have tried to overcome these problems. They have introduced the Plug-in Hybrid Electric

Vehicles (PHEVs). These vehicles have a regular gas or diesel powered engine in addition to

a battery pack. Hybrids are popular because they combine long range vehicles and low fuel

consumption. PHEV can be recharged from an outlet and the battery pack can be used for

short distances. Once the power runs out, they can be recharged and the driver can rely on the

engine to keep going on. These (PHEVs) are not as environmentally friendly as full EVs or

fuel-cells EVs, but they are less polluting than traditional cars.

There are two other solutions but they are not as popular as the first two. One of those

is the Hybrid Electric Vehicle which is not actually considered an electric vehicle but it is

dependent entirely on the gasoline engine and regenerative braking. The best-known
 8

examples of HEV are Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid. The fourth and the last option

for the green-thinking consumers is the fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). They are usually

run by converting hydrogen gas into electricity to power an electric motor. The transmutation

process of hydrogen gas to electricity produces only water and heat. It means that FCEVs and

BEVs are the only vehicles that can be classified as the zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The

only problem with FCEV is that the technology is new. So, because of a small number of cars

on the roads, there are lesser refueling stations. However, the good thing is that they are (till

now) available at good prices.

Conclusion

The complete solution to environment pollution cannot be achieved because no engineering

technique has been developed yet. Although, the electric vehicle has been supposed to

completely the solution but there are harmful effects of them as well. Electric vehicles are

somehow environment friendly but they are expensive and less durable as compared to fuel

engine vehicles. But the fuel engine vehicles are producing lots of carbon contents that are

unhealthy for us. In nutshell, till we find the vehicles that cause zero greenhouse emissions,

we should move towards the electric vehicles.

References:

Calef, D., & Goble, R. (2007). The allure of technology: How France and California

promoted electric and hybrid vehicles to reduce urban air pollution. Policy sciences, 40(1), 1-

34.

Benefits Of Electric Cars. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ergon.com.au/network/smarter-

energy/electric-vehicles/benefits-of-electric-vehicles
 9

Wade, L. (2016, March 31). Tesla's Electric Cars Aren't as Green as You Might Think.

Retrieved March 14, 2017, from https://www.wired.com/2016/03/teslas-electric-cars-might-

not-green-think/

Vaughan, A. (2017, December 25). Norway leads way on electric cars: 'it's part of a green taxation

shift'. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/25/norway-leads-way-

electric-cars-green-taxation-shift

News, B. (2018, February 27). China's Drive to Become the Detroit of Electric Cars.

Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-27/china-s-drive-to-

become-the-detroit-of-electric-cars-quicktake

Mercier, X. & Lanoie, P. & Leroux, J. (2015). Costs and Benefits of Quebec's Drive Electric

Program. Canadian Public Policy 41(4), 281-296. University of Toronto Press. Retrieved

March 14, 2017, from Project MUSE database