What If All Cars Were Electric?
Have you ever wished there were more energy-efficient car models on the road? Statistics indicate that global carbon emissions would be reduced by 12% if every car were electric.
This seems like a pretty massive number, but it would make all the difference in global temperatures if implemented.
However, the cost of manufacturing electric cars is slightly higher simply because of the amount of carbon used in the battery production process. So perhaps not all the world’s carbon emissions will be solved by simply employing the electric car.
- So how much of the world’s emissions will decrease if we make every car electric?
- How efficient are electric cars when compared to combustion engines?
- How many electric cars are there in the world right now?
- How possible is it to reduce the overall amount of emissions?
If you want answers to these questions and a lot more, then keep reading. We’ll explore the question as to whether or not it will be possible for all the world’s cars to become electric, as well as whether or not it would ever be possible to get there in terms of numbers.
Could Electric Cars Save The Climate?
In short, it would definitely lower the number of carbon emissions in the air, although it would not change the amount of carbon we produce drastically. The government’s aim in the UK is to drop their greenhouse gas emissions to a net zero by 2035, which hopefully is a target they can commit to.
To do this, the UK and the US plan to go completely carbon neutral by 2035. Whether they will achieve this target or not, who knows, but one of the main methods they’ll use to combat this is by reducing the number of combustion engines currently on the road.
One of the main carbon emissions producers is China, mainly from its coal-heavy power consumption. They too, have pledged to reduce the number of carbon emissions. Although this does not look likely, as they have committed to building more coal furnace plants in the next few years.
Will It Be Possible To Have All Electric Cars?
If governments across the world really commit to lowering the number of combustion engines in cars, then this will certainly be possible. However, how the government can enforce this law is another question entirely.
However, the question of the switch from carbon to electric is complicated. If you increase the production of batteries in electric cars, then you might see this increase in electricity generation to 2% as they ramp up production.
This might also increase overall atmospheric carbon levels as factories have to burn more coal to generate electricity.
The level of energy efficiency in batteries is improving all the time, with more efficient electric car models being developed. This also helps foster the used electric car market and drives down the prices of used energy-efficient cars.
How Many Electric Cars Are There Right Now?
As of 2020, around 1.8 million EVs were registered in the USA. That figure is projected to be a staggering 18 million by 2025. These vehicles come in three categories: all-electric, hybrid, and fuel-cell.
All-electric cars are the main reducers of carbon emissions and account for the vast majority of this electrical vehicle market. Hybrid cars are a mixture of both electric and gas, which helps lower overall emissions. Fuel cell cars are powered by hydrogen and are the least-sold non-carbon vehicle.
However, the US only represents 17% of the world’s EV consumption. China has a massive number of EVs, capturing around 44% of the overall market. This is because most of the car companies that produce these types of cars operate in Asia.
The most rapid growth of these EVs is in Europe, where sales have risen by a massive 77% since 2020. This is probably due to the change in the trend of people becoming more environmentally aware and wanting to save more on fuel costs.
In America, the sales of these vehicles have declined, possibly due to plug-in EV vehicles falling out of favor and being replaced by new models.
How Many Emissions Would Be Lost By Adopting Electric Cars?
In the UK, it has been calculated that if electric cars were made mandatory, they would produce approximately 42 million tonnes less CO2 annually. This would be a 12% reduction in the overall amount of CO2 gases that are emitted into the atmosphere.
In regards to air pollution in general, introducing more electric cars would certainly help reduce the number of harmful gasses in the air and promote clean living, especially in the cities.
The electric car would also help balance out a population’s overall energy consumption. However, electric cars do have their flaws. For example, the batteries operate far less efficiently at colder temperatures and snowy conditions.