For Further Understanding
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New Types of Vehicles
Professor Sperling has conducted research over many years on alternative fuel technologies designed to replace petroleum. Among these alternative technologies, battery technology has made electric vehicles increasingly popular. In 2023, electric vehicles accounted for approximately 15.7% of new vehicles sold in Europe, 7.6% in the United States, and 22.2% in China.
Are Electric Vehicles Truly Environmentally Friendly?
Since electric vehicles do not emit CO2 or other air pollutants, they are generally considered environmentally friendly. However, the claim that electric vehicles do not emit CO2 refers only to the vehicle's operation. In many cases, large amounts of CO2 are emitted during the process of producing the electricity needed to charge the vehicle's battery, depending on the method used to generate that electricity, such as thermal power generation. As you learned from the story of Professor Sperling, when proposing fuel regulations, he focused on greenhouse gas emissions during vehicle production, delivery, use, and disposal. It is important to consider the lifecycle of each vehicle.
Why, then, are electric vehicles considered environmentally friendly? This is because they produce zero CO2 emissions during travel. The absence of CO2 emissions during operation means that it is possible to reduce the total amount of CO2 emissions to close to zero, provided that emissions are reduced in other stages of the product's lifecycle. On the other hand, gasoline vehicles emit CO2 whenever they are driven. Therefore, even if CO2 emissions are reduced in other processes, it is impossible to reduce total CO2 emissions to zero.
In fact, technologies for generating electricity, such as solar power and other recyclable energy sources that do not emit CO2, are steadily being developed. The advantage of these technological advances across various industries is the great potential electric vehicles have for reducing lifecycle CO2 emissions.
Reference
Websites
Blue Planet Prize
- Blue Planet Prize Video of Commemorative Lectures by the Past Laureates
- An Innovative Path to Sustainable Transportation
- Affiliated/ Research Institutions
- University of California Davis, Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS): Professor Daniel Sperling