The Future of Electric Cars

Can electric cars be the solution to exhaust fume pollution?
Source: Michael H/ Gettyimages

From the previous post, we learnt about the growing importance in environmental consumerism. Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious in making informed decisions to purchase more eco-friendly products. Today we will look into the prospects of electric cars which can potentially help resolve a major air pollutant source that most cities are facing - vehicular emissions.

Having written a post on how adopting cycling as an alternative mode of transportation can help to reduce the reliance on private vehicles, it is also important not to neglect the fact that the demand for cars will be difficult to    stop in the near future. This is due to the rising growth in middle-income groups, especially when cars are associated with the status of wealth and higher standard of living.  

In the recent years, the electric car technology has improved by leaps and bounds and it is heartening to know that many cities are attracted to tap into it. Electric cars are powered by rechargeable batteries and they do not emit harmful exhausts, thus having the potential to achieve great reductions in major air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. In addition, electric cars are also much more efficient than current conventional cars that run on petroleum fuels. For instance, electricity can be even recovered from braking of vehicles which can then be utilised again to power the electric cars. Electric cars are estimated to be up to three times more efficient than conventional cars.  

However, there are concerns that electric cars could result in more air pollution if their electricity source is derived from conventional coal burning. This will just translate into the meaningless transfer of air pollutants from vehicular exhaust to the flue gas liberated from coal-fired power plants. Hence, it is crucial to develop clean energy sources to generate electricity for these electric cars, before they can be truly considered as the solution that can help tackle air pollution. 

Other current barriers to the commercialisation of electric cars include the high cost of producing their batteries. The upfront cost of electric car is still significantly higher than most conventional cars, discouraging consumers from purchasing them. However, there are much optimism in the future that the cost of electric cars would be able to compete in the market. For instance, Tesla Motors, a giant electric car manufacturer, has already plans to upscale its production of batteries that will greatly help to reduce the cost of battery production through sheer economy of scale. 

Nevertheless, many cities are already exploring or have even started to tap on the potential of electric cars. For instance, Singapore has launched several extensive trials on electric cars with further plans to devise effective blueprint that can make electric cars a reality in the city. Elsewhere in Shenzhen, China, the city has been awarded with the C40 City Climate Leadership Awards for its green public transportation infrastructure that runs on renewable energy, boasting over 800 electric buses and 850 taxis. Electric cars definitely show much promise to help alleviate air pollution in cities in time to come.