Electric Cars have been around for over 100 years. In
fact, Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the Porsche car company, developed the all-electric
P1 in 1898. He planned to mass produce and potentially dominate the car industry
with an easy-charging, fast automobile.
However, Henry Ford, founder of
Ford motors, developed the Model T in 1908. The Model T was an all gasoline powered
automobile and it swept consumers off their feet. With a price of $638, everyone
bought Ford’s affordable product over Porsche’s $1,750 all-electric car.
It is said that Ford’s Model T is
what started the gasoline-powered vehicle production and development. However,
gasoline powered cars are becoming a controversial issue. With the rising
carbon emissions, rapid depletion of natural resources and destruction of
environment, Gasoline cars “cheapness” may not be paying off long-term.
Recently, electric cars have been developed
and are becoming widely sold everywhere with recent research depicting its
benefits for society. Electric cars have been known for reducing carbon emissions
and receiving economic benefits. However, as electric cars have started to become
popular, issues such as slow charging have slowed the electric car movement.
Carbon Emissions and Cost are greatly reduced when switching from conventional
to electric cars
Professor Mathias Frisch perspective provides a good background to a modern view on electric cars. Since the commercialization of cars and public transportation in the 1950’s, more people have been using them for transportation. As a result, there has been a sharp increase in carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions have been examined in a study done by the University of Berkeley.
The university compared carbon emissions from cars between the years 1960 and 2008. The study found that 1.4 billion carbon metric tonnes were released in 1960 and 4.2 million metric tonnes were released in 2008. Carbon emissions essentially tripled in a matter of half of a decade.
Additionally, high carbon emissions are found to inhibit plants and trees ability to perform evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiration is the process in which plants give off water through their pores which cool the plants and acts as a natural air conditioner for their surroundings.
Carnegie Mellon conducted a study with doubling the world’s carbon emissions and found that inhibition of evapotranspiration lead to a 16% warming of the lands surface by around four degrees.
To combat this issue, car developers made electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf, Smart Car, and Tesla. Electric cars have surfaced in the market in the past decade and already have started to solve several problems related to cost. Compared to Plug in hybrid electric cars (PHEV) users who pay $16,000 premium for their vehicle, all electric cars users pay only $10,000 dollars premium.
On average each month, a gas-powered vehicle costs the owner around $147 for gasoline and this number could increase. On the other hand, electric powered cars cost the owner a simple $17 dollar increase in their utility bill.
The public opinion on electric cars and their efforts
to reduce carbon emissions is relative positive. In 2012, A survey conducted
by J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Electric Vehicle Ownership Experience found
that around 44% of electric vehicle owners believed they benefited the most
from their vehicles low carbon emissions. The surge in research on electric
cars impacts on carbon emissions has allowed for statistics to be collected in
almost any zip code in North America.
A study, which has the capability to track carbon emissions by area, examined fuel cost and greenhouse gas emissions compared to the vehicle mode. The research conveys that conventional, gas cars emit around two times the amount of emissions compared to an all-electric car. Additionally, the fuel cost was more than three times in conventional cars when compared to all electric. Also, demand for electric cars has changed vastly in the past 5 years.
The market for electric cars has sharply expanded globally. The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research did an analysis of electric cars which shows 320,000 new owner registrations in the past year bringing the current global electric car ownership to a quarter million cars. The analysis also saw a growth rate of 76% worldwide with overall electric vehicle registrations doubling each year between 2012 and 2014.
With the increasing ownership and market expansion of electric cars, the world could possible see a dynamic change from a petroleum dominant society to the increased prevalence of electric cars. In turn, carbon emissions could be greatly reduced with this shift.
University of Maryland provides free charging station and green benefits for electric cars
Currently, the University of Maryland
offers students 15 lots to park in throughout the academic year. To be
able to park in these lots, students have to first determine
availability by lot and then pay for a permit
which ranges from $249 to $581 annually. If one were to quadruple
this price range for four academic years, the permit range would be from $996
to $2324. However, if you are driving electric car, the rules are quite
different.
| Academic term | Resident Students | Commuter Students | Satellite Resident | Expiration date |
| Annual | $481 | $249 | $581 | 8/26/2016 |
| Fall Only | $289 | $149 | $349 | 12/11/2015 |
| Spring Only | $241 | $125 | $281 | 8/26/2016 |
| Summer Only | $241 | $125 | $241 | 8/26/2016 |
UMD has implemented 16 charging stations across 7 main locations throughout campus. Charging is free at these locations and the charging stations can fully charge your car in a matter of 4 to 8 hours. Essentially, an individual will not have to pay for charging their vehicle during the week as they can simply park their cars at these locations during the day.
Also, UMD researchers are finding new ways to invent more reasonable electric charging stations to allow quicker and easier charging for students and faculty. In fact, the university is teaming with electric car companies to make their vision a potential reality.
However, parking at these stations still requires registering with UMD Department of Transportation (DOTS). Nevertheless, parking permits for electric and low-emission vehicles are qualified for the Green Permit program. The program offers individuals with a 20% discount on their parking permits for each semester.
The UMD web page states the, “program encourages the use of green vehicles and recognizes the role that they play in helping the university become more sustainable”. In addition, to know if an individual’s vehicle qualifies, they can check using the EPA website. In spite of these benefits, the university previously had policy which advocated and promoted electric cars significantly.
Before September 2014, electric car users received a 50% discount for parking permits on a semester basis. After September 2014, electric cars lost this perk and placed in The Green Permit program putting them on the same level as hybrids and low carbon emission vehicles. Sadly, the university appears to have possibly disincentivize the use of electric cars on campus.
Lanny, an electric car activist, had a meeting with David Allen; director of DOTS. Allen explained that “EV owners are part of the upper income bracket” and that the policy motivation was to provide a “financial break to these individuals”.
The meeting conveyed an interesting thought that socio-economic issues have a substantial impact on policies for a local scale. The introduction of electric cars has provided fruitful benefits but has put forth conflicting issues. These issues could potentially hinder electric cars sustainability on a local scale.
Electric Cars face charging issues but may have a potential solution
Currently,
pumping gas takes 5 minutes when an individual's gas tank is low on fuel. In
addition, gas stations are widely available with there being multiple locations
in any city. On the other hand, charging electric cars take up to 8 hours for a
full charge. Additionally, there are currently only 11,324
charging stations in the United States. With sparsely located charging
stations, long trips seem to be planned with charging station locations in
mind.
Professor Frisch accounted that he personally would plan trips to Rehoboth beach; relying on the location of a charging station. On one occasion, the charging station was “not even there” as the location posted online was not accurate. In turn, the issue with accessibility creates a bigger rift with using electric cars as a primary mode of transportation. However, a potential solution may be surfacing in the near future.
Recently, Tesla has been testing a new charging station prototype known as the “Supercharger”. Superchargers make 120kW of power versus current charging stations producing 10-12kW. Essentially, this means that a charge which would take around 8 hours now takes a little more than 30 minutes for a full charge. As a result, electric car owners can now grab food or go shopping and have a full charge when they return. On top of that, individuals can check the status of their car’s battery via the use of an app.
However, Superchargers only work with the Tesla’s Model S and there are only 557 supercharging stations nationwide. Hopefully, the compatibility of Superchargers can expand to allow and benefit a greater user base. Speaking of this, Tesla future plans include the addition of superchargers near major highways, congested cities, ski resorts, restaurants and hotels. Tesla plans to open over 30 new supercharging stations in the next couple of months. In the future, Supercharger’s may be the next Exxon or Shell for the electric car industry.
Professor Frisch brought up an interesting point. Since the surfacing of electric cars in 2010, a wide spectrum of changes occurred ranging from localities such as universities to the global platform in regards to the economy, carbon emissions and even infrastructure. Electric cars are becoming a widely growing product that is being accepted across various different countries and societies.
At this point, electric cars are slowly becoming a part of a progressive, modern era which craves for the next, new, innovative product. Moreover, carbon emissions are currently accounting for 83% of all greenhouses gases that are in our atmosphere. With human activities such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels, it is getting harder for ecosystems to remove carbon emissions on their own. . As a result, it is important for the current generation to advocate what is best for the future of society.
From cutting down carbon emissions which cause global warming to providing economic benefits, electric cars could be a catalyst to end the petroleum dominant society. It is imperative that lawmakers, citizens and corporations continue to consider electric cars as it could potentially be a savior to the preservation and progression of our world for the next generation.
Professor Frisch accounted that he personally would plan trips to Rehoboth beach; relying on the location of a charging station. On one occasion, the charging station was “not even there” as the location posted online was not accurate. In turn, the issue with accessibility creates a bigger rift with using electric cars as a primary mode of transportation. However, a potential solution may be surfacing in the near future.
Recently, Tesla has been testing a new charging station prototype known as the “Supercharger”. Superchargers make 120kW of power versus current charging stations producing 10-12kW. Essentially, this means that a charge which would take around 8 hours now takes a little more than 30 minutes for a full charge. As a result, electric car owners can now grab food or go shopping and have a full charge when they return. On top of that, individuals can check the status of their car’s battery via the use of an app.
However, Superchargers only work with the Tesla’s Model S and there are only 557 supercharging stations nationwide. Hopefully, the compatibility of Superchargers can expand to allow and benefit a greater user base. Speaking of this, Tesla future plans include the addition of superchargers near major highways, congested cities, ski resorts, restaurants and hotels. Tesla plans to open over 30 new supercharging stations in the next couple of months. In the future, Supercharger’s may be the next Exxon or Shell for the electric car industry.
Professor Frisch brought up an interesting point. Since the surfacing of electric cars in 2010, a wide spectrum of changes occurred ranging from localities such as universities to the global platform in regards to the economy, carbon emissions and even infrastructure. Electric cars are becoming a widely growing product that is being accepted across various different countries and societies.
At this point, electric cars are slowly becoming a part of a progressive, modern era which craves for the next, new, innovative product. Moreover, carbon emissions are currently accounting for 83% of all greenhouses gases that are in our atmosphere. With human activities such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels, it is getting harder for ecosystems to remove carbon emissions on their own. . As a result, it is important for the current generation to advocate what is best for the future of society.
From cutting down carbon emissions which cause global warming to providing economic benefits, electric cars could be a catalyst to end the petroleum dominant society. It is imperative that lawmakers, citizens and corporations continue to consider electric cars as it could potentially be a savior to the preservation and progression of our world for the next generation.
