In a world where transportation is essential to most people’s daily lives, automobiles are nowadays owned by the average household. The technology behind cars and their functionality has been groundbreaking, practically allowing our way of life to having a much greater sense of convenience and accessibility. However, cars are not perfect. In fact, they are detrimental to the environment, producing CO2 emissions harming the atmosphere in the long run. This, in turn, drastically affects the entire human population on a global scale as the increase in CO2 emissions drives the effects of climate change and increases the ocean’s acidity. Based on estimation by the EPA, the typical gasoline-driven passenger vehicle emits around 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year (EPA). This obviously varies between vehicle build, usage, and other factors, but multiplying this number for every gasoline-driven vehicle on the planet would create an astounding amount of emissions released yearly. Luckily, some companies in the industry are starting to take the initiative to combat this issue.
Most cars are run on gasoline, and the automotive industry has been following this norm for quite some time now. In our day and age now, electric vehicles are becoming more prominent on the roads due to their convenient charging capabilities and safety for the environment. Electric cars are starting to take over the industry as companies are going towards the idea of electric over gasoline-fueled automobiles. Some of the leading companies for automobiles have already begun to plans to go fully electric around 2030. The goal might seem far away, but it would require many resources and time for mass production to shift from one form of creation to another entirely. For example, General Motors issued a statement saying it would only produce electric vehicles by 2035, and Ford’s European line of automobiles would be fully electric by 2030 (British Broadcasting Corporation). However, most of the cars in circulation today are mostly gasoline-powered, indicating that a shift to electric vehicles will be both necessary for the environment and consuming resources and time. To give an approximation on how prevalent electric cars will be in the roads of the future, BBC News conducted a study in which they estimated that, “By 2025 20% of all new cars sold globally will be electric, according to the latest forecast by the investment bank UBS. That will leap to 40% by 2030, and by 2040 virtually every new car sold globally will be electric” (British Broadcasting Corporation). This evaluation looks pretty positive, but it is not a definitive indication of how the automotive industry will react to electric cars.
As our primary means of personal transportation, automobiles profoundly impact both ourselves and the environment. With technology improving and allowing the electric alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles, the future for the automobile industry looks to be promising as a shift for electric automobiles seems to be probable.
Sources:
EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle.
Rowlatt, Justin. “Why Electric Cars Will Take over Sooner than You Think.” BBC News, BBC, 1 June 2021, www.bbc.com/news/business-57253947.