Today I am going to be talking about the sustainability of electric cars
and their role in shaping a greener future.
Slide 1
Electric cars, or electric vehicles, are vehicles that are either fully or partially
powered by electricity, and they use motors powered by rechargeable batteries
or other energy storage systems, unlike the more conventional vehicle that
usually relies on internal combustion engines fuelled by gasoline or diesel.
Slide 2- Greenhouse Emissions
Electric cars have emerged as a promising solution to reduce the environmental
impact of transportation. Their sustainability stems from their ability to mitigate
greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency compared to traditional
internal combustion engine vehicles.
What are greenhouse gas emissions? These emissions occur when water vapor,
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons,
and sulfur hexafluoride are released into the air.
Unlike fossil fuels vehicles, electric cars can drive while producing zero carbon
and nitrous dioxide emissions and only produce half of the other emissions
compared to fossil fuel vehicles.
Slide 3- Environmental Impact
However, the overall emission footprint depends on how the electricity used to
charge these vehicles is generated. For example, if the region where the energy
is being generated allows for renewable source charging such as solar, wind or
hydroelectric power, the carbon emissions can be significantly reduced.
The manufacturing process for electric cars involves collecting raw resources for
the batteries (like lithium, cobalt, and nickel), and to ensure the minimal amount
of environmental damage sustainable extraction and recycling methods are
necessary, and because of that, improvements on that technology are to come.
Slide 4- Energy efficiency
Electric cars tend to be more energy efficient than conventional vehicles. When
compared to fossil fuel vehicles they convert a higher percentage of the energy
stored in their batteries into power to move the vehicle, and the fossil fuel
vehicles lose loads of energy in their internal combustion engines. Having said
that, the energy lost per kilometre travelled ratio is smaller on electric cars than in
fossil fuel vehicles. Fossil fuel vehicles convert only about 20/30% of their energy
into power for the wheels, whereas the electric cars convert about 60/70% of the
batterie’s energy into power for the wheels. Electric cars also utilize regenerative
braking, which is when the energy generated while braking is converted into
usable energy.
Slide 5- Charging Infrastructure
Developing a charging infrastructure powered by renewable sources is crucial for
maximizing the sustainability benefits of electric cars. Having said that,
Government incentives, subsidies, and policies promoting the adoption of electric
vehicles, renewable energy integration, and battery recycling play pivotal roles in
ensuring sustainability.
• Charging stations, fast charging technology and home charging solutions
• Incentives and subsides, zero emission vehicles mandates, emission
regulations, research and development funding and public awareness and
education.
Are things that could be implemented by the government, private sectors, and
communities to promote the use of electric cars.
Slide 6- The challenges that come
The challenges lie in batterie production, resource extraction, as well as the end-
of-life disposal. The key to addressing these challenges and to improve the
overall sustainability of electric cars are to increase the use of recycled materials,
and the advancement of regulatory frameworks. Some other challenges:
• Battery technology
• Charging infrastructure
• Raw material supply chain
• Recycling and disposal
• Costs and affordability
