Whether the gas is at $4 a gallon or $2 a gallon, it’s still expensive and messy, and doing irreparable damage to our environment and planet. Just because gas drops back some doesn’t mean that we can stop looking for affordable, real-world long-term solutions.
Electric cars hold a lot of potential, and are are key element in the going Green revolution. Not only are they not polluting in the local environment, but they’re surprisingly inexpensive to operate. One might think that converting the energy from fossil fuel to electricity would be less cost-effective than just using it directly, fossil fuel to your car. Here ‘s why that is a misconception:
1. Gas isn’t just appearing at the pumps. It has to be hauled to them, from ships and refineries to gas stations all over the country. That’s using up a lot of fuel and adding to the price as well. Delivering gasoline to your car’s tank is a lot more wasteful than pushing electrons down a line to your home.
2. Power plants are much more efficient at utilizing the fossil fuels than a car can be, so they’re getting more energy out of the same carbon footprint. Also, when alternative-source electrical generation is on board, it’ll be able to use that same grid to distribute it.
3. Electric motors have a LOT of torque, and it’s available literally immediately. Telsa Motors made an electric sports car that gets from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds, and it wasn’t even particularly challenging for them to do so. Moreover, electric cars only use juice when they’re actually moving. Gas powered vehicles are burning fuel at stop signs, stop lights, all the time, the whole way. This makes electric all the more efficient.
4. Gas cars CAN be converted to electric inexpensively, and will work just fine for most urban and suburban dwellers.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to kick gas to the curb. Let’s get rid of combustion engines altogether!
