Student Highlight: Robert Schader
Environmentalists have always envisioned a society free of the tedious and polluting dependence on fossil fuels that plagues the present day, a beautiful and green society where every human being could live without the stench of smog and exhaust singing their nostrils. However alluring their depictions may be, the question has always been how to cure the world of its seemingly terminal condition, especially considering the extent to which fossil fuels and other polluting sources of energy are entrenched in modern society. Out of all the innumerable ways human society contributes to the accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, the most significant is transportation. With millions of gasoline-powered cars choking roadways and cities with exhaust, the need for a more environmentally friendly mode of transport is unmistakable. Fortunately, the advent of commercially viable electric vehicles, which produce no exhaust, provides a solution to the crisis. Taking into account the ongoing advancements in the United States’ power grid and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, a 2035 mandate on electric cars would be an effective way to reduce the nation’s emissions and improve its energy security.
Considering the zero-emission engineering of electric cars and the trend towards green energy in the United States’ power grid, a nation of electric vehicles will produce very little emissions compared to internal combustion vehicles by 2035, fulfilling the government’s goal to reduce the environmental impact of the transportation sector. In the United States, 27.3% of emissions come from transportation and another 24.9% come from power generation (“Energy Transition”). According to a study by the University of California, Berkeley, if all the cars on the nation's roads were replaced by electric vehicles without any changes to the power grid, emissions would already be decreased by about 26% (Kaplan). Alone, this figure is remarkable considering the extraordinary amount of CO2 produced by the U.S, amounting to about 5 billion tons in 2021 (“Energy Transition”). However, emissions will be further diminished by ongoing efforts to replace power plants fueled by coal and natural gas with renewable sources. The same Berkeley study also determined that on a predicted 2030 power grid, electric vehicles would cause a 62% reduction in emissions (Kaplan). Attempts to reduce emissions are backed by the government, which aims to achieve zero-carbon emissions by 2035 (“Energy Transition”). The latest climate change policy, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), invests roughly 400 billion dollars in energy and climate funds along with several tax credits and other incentives. Alone, this policy could bring CO2 emissions in the power sector down to 485 million tons per year, a remarkable reduction compared to the 5 billion tons emitted in 2021. Coupled with the declining costs of renewable energy and the development of more efficient methods of producing renewable power, policies like the IRA will surely transform the power grid to the point where it can support electric cars and greatly reduce the United States’ contribution to climate change.
In addition to being more environmentally friendly than internal combustion vehicles, electric cars are not dependent on oil, an increasingly expensive resource that could compromise the United States’ energy security. Every year, drivers in the United States burn a total of 135 billion barrels of gasoline each year (Tabak). Evidently, gasoline runs through the veins of the nation, creating an insatiable appetite for petroleum. The nation’s consumption of gasoline is so great that a large portion must be imported from abroad, creating a problematic energy security issue (“Fossil Fuels”). Though some of the oil can be obtained from allied nations like Canada, the major exporters of oil in the Middle East and Russia are not as amicable. As demonstrated by the ongoing war in Ukraine, a conflict that ceased the export of oil from Russia to the United States and drove oil prices through the roof, political affairs can seriously compromise the availability of oil in the country. If transportation in the United States relied more on electric cars rather than internal combustion vehicles, the economy would be much safer in the event that America’s lifeline of oil from abroad was severed. Furthermore, an analysis of fuel costs proves that consumers would not be disappointed. With a current gas price of approximately $3.18 a gallon and an electricity price of $0.1157 per KWh, the fuel costs over 10 years for an internal combustion vehicle and an electric vehicle come to $17,694 and $5,046, respectively (Ahmed). As gas prices consistently rise, electric vehicles will only become more economical ("Retail Price of Regular Gasoline”). Thus, by resolving the United States dependence on expensive and unreliable sources of imported oil, the nationwide use of electric vehicles would improve energy security and provide a more economical option for personal transport.
Unfortunately, such efforts to generate more environmentally friendly energy would be useless if charging infrastructure could not deliver it to electric vehicles efficiently. Currently, the speed of charging stations and their frequency hinders that capability of electric vehicles, but these issues will be remedied soon with the rapid construction of fast chargers across the United States as well as technological innovation surrounding the charging process. One of the greatest concerns surrounding electric vehicles is the infrequency of charging stations, which causes drivers a great deal of anxiety as they plan their routes (Ahmed). Between 2018 and 2021, the number of publicly available fast chargers in the U.S increased by over 500% as over 17,000 stations were constructed (“Number of Publicly Available Fast Electric Vehicle Chargers”). If fast chargers continue to be constructed at this rate, they could be prevalent enough to support a nation of electric cars by 2030. To help keep up with demand for charging stations, the U.S Department of Transportation has invested in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which will construct a national network of charging stations along interstate highways. This program will provide plenty of stops for electric vehicle drivers traveling long distances, reducing range anxiety (“Electric and Hybrid Electric Cars”). In addition to efforts to construct more charging stations, engineers are developing various technologies to make charging quicker and more convenient. A major focus of these technologies is at-home charging, an option exclusive to electric cars that eliminates the need for frequent stops at charging stations. With the development of more powerful chargers, wireless charging, and software to micromanage every aspect of the process, charging stations will become more efficient than gas stations, reducing the need for vast numbers of charging stations (Mo). Therefore, with the rapid construction and innovation of electric charging stations, the infrastructure shortage limiting a mandate on electric vehicles will be nonexistent by 2035.
As evidence suggests, a 2035 mandate on electric cars would provide an excellent solution to the United States’ energy woes, decreasing air pollution and reducing the nation’s dependence on unpredictable sources of foreign oil, especially considering the trend towards renewable power generation along with the widespread construction of electric vehicle charging stations. However, before the government becomes involved, the responsibility rests on consumers to take matters into their own hands by purchasing their own electric vehicle. Such individual efforts would ease the transition to electric cars, enabling the government to adapt and implement measures required to sustain a nation of electric vehicles. Most importantly, the shift towards electric vehicles would ensure the preservation of a beautiful world for future generations to enjoy.