Global warming’s effect on our world is becoming more devastating than ever. As we continue to produce greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, these effects will more likely become irreversible in the coming years. So we have to stop it in its tracks, and one way we are doing it is through eco-friendly vehicles.
A decent chunk of the carbon emissions produced in the US come from passenger vehicles. A singular passenger vehicle can emit four metric tons of carbon emission every year. If we consider that almost every household in the US has one or two cars, that’s about a staggering amount of carbon emissions being produced from passenger cars alone.
This is why the US is making a shift towards eco-friendly vehicles. There are two types of eco-friendly cars right now. They are electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles.
What Are Electric Vehicles (EVs)?
Electric vehicles are powered by an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. This means there is no need for gasoline or diesel to run it. Instead, all you need is electricity.
Because EVs don’t use gasoline or diesel to run, there isn’t any exhaust from the tailpipe. It also doesn’t require a fuel pump or fuel tank, making them lighter than traditional vehicles. This is good for their energy consumption since lighter vehicles consume less energy.
What Are Hydrogen Vehicles (HVs)?
Much like EVs, HVs don’t have an internal combustion engine. They also use an electric motor, but instead of utilizing an external electricity source to run, HVs use an internal one. They create their electricity onboard through hydrogen and oxygen inside the vehicle’s fuel tank. So HVs still have traditional fuel components like conventional vehicles do, but it has water inside instead of gasoline or diesel.
Which Is Better?
Now, there is a debate over which is better. EVs are found almost anywhere nowadays, while HVs are pretty rare when it comes to availability. This is because there are a lot of consequences to building an HV, and it’s only relatively recently that we tested these cars out. There is still a lot to be learned from HVs instead of EVs, and it’s safe to say that most of the HVs out in the market right now are prototypes.
Furthermore, HVs are a lot more expensive. On average, HVs can cost up to $60,000, while EVs cost around $40,000. Once again, the main reason for this is that there are many more complications in building an HV than an EV. Moreover, it has a lot more moving parts. Another problem is that HVs are rare in the US, and their fueling stations are few. But HVs are considered to be a far more eco-friendly model than EVs.
This is because EVs require electrically charged, while HVs can use water. This means that EVs still indirectly produce carbon emissions when we charge them because some power plant somewhere is emitting these emissions into the atmosphere. However, many companies are now creating solar-powered electric stations for EVs. This should drastically reduce the emissions required to charge them, making them a good choice for an eco-friendly car.
Can EVs and HVs Save the Environment?
However, the reality is that these kinds of vehicles can’t inherently save us. They still produce a decent amount of carbon emissions into the environment. Furthermore, the production of these vehicles requires copious amounts of energy. So unless their manufacturers have entirely switched to sustainable forms of energy (which they haven’t), these vehicles are still producing tons of carbon emissions into the environment.
The best solution to climate change is shifting to a fully sustainable lifestyle. So let’s say you’ve purchased an EV, you still need to charge it. The traditional way of charging still utilizes fossil fuels because that’s the primary energy source here in the US. However, if you have solar panels installed, it means that you won’t be utilizing fossil fuels for your EV.
Don’t worry about the rarity of these panels. There are tons of solar panels for sale online. Moreover, individual contractors are willing to install these panels for you. This is one legitimate way to make your carbon footprint dissipate in the coming years.
Final Thoughts
EVs and HVs can’t save us by themselves. We need to make the cycle of charging and using them sustainably. Moreover, manufacturers have to switch to sustainable forms of energy to ensure that the vehicles they make are eco-friendly. By making this shift, we can drastically reduce the carbon footprint coming from our cars.
Meta title: Reducing Global Warming: Can Eco-friendly Cars Really Help?
meta desc: The effects of global warming are becoming clearer than ever. Thankfully, we try to solve it by reducing our carbon emissions through eco-friendly cars. But can they save us?