PRE-READING QUESTIONS
Think about the following questions.
1. Do you know anyone who has an electric car, a hybrid, or any other type of alternative-fuel vehicle?
2. Do you do anything in your daily life to reduce your personal environmental impact?
3. Some people think electric cars are unattractive. Do you agree or disagree?

THE SPARK OF A NEW ERA

Besides the obvious environmental concerns, consumers and policymakers now have plenty of reasons to consider alternatives to the gasoline engine. Although there is no consensus on how much oil there is left, as a non-renewable resource, it is finite by definition. In terms of geopolitics, oil is often a cause of instability. Many oil-rich countries have used that advantage in ways the rest of the world resents. These dynamics¹ have shifted an increasing amount of attention to alternatives, especially hybrids and fully electric cars.

Environmental issues remain the most compelling² reasons to explore electric alternatives. In the US, for example, automobiles account for a fifth of total human carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which have been identified as a major cause of global warming. Car exhaust also contributes to the growing problem of urban air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide gas (NO2) is a toxic³ byproduct of diesel fuel combustion. This gas is rising above safe levels in urban areas all over the world.

Electric technologies are cleaner across the board. It is important to note that electric cars still get their power from the grid⁴, so they run on whatever the closest power plant does. The majority of these plants burn fossil fuels, including coal, which is hands down the biggest producer of CO2 and other pollutants. Nevertheless, electric cars still come out ahead. Even if they use one hundred percent coal-powered electricity, they create twenty-five percent less atmospheric pollution than their fossil-fuel counterparts.

Electric options also have several economic advantages. The first is fuel costs: roughly $30 per month for electricity versus $100 for gas. And fully electric cars, in particular, require less engine maintenance and retain higher resale values than gasoline cars in the same classes. Until very recently, the sticker price of the electric car was the biggest disadvantage-most started at around $40,000. But tax incentives and a new generation of more affordable options mean that electric cars are now within reach for the middle class. In the US, the BMW Mini Electric is the cheapest fully electric car on the market. As of 2021, this two-door compact was listed at $29,900. After tax rebates⁵, the real price could be as low as $22,400.

Yet electric technology is not without its downsides. To date, the biggest problem is still plugging in, since electric car owners need to be aware of the locations of electric charging stations and plan their destinations accordingly. Charging also takes quite a lot longer than filling a gas tank-between four and eight hours for most models. And the range⁶ of electric cars still averages only about 250 miles on a full charge. Gas cars vary more widely but average between 400 and 500 miles. Having to stop every couple of hundred miles to charge for hours makes electric cars impractical for long road trips. Electric cars also lag behind⁷ in performance. Top speeds tend to be slower, and the lighter materials often mean the cars are harder to handle. Further, while electric cars need maintenance less often, repairs are generally more expensive. This can include replacement of the car's lithium-ion battery, which can cost from $5,000 to $16,000.

But teams at automakers, research universities, and government agencies are not content to stop there. Many proposed improvements utilize nanomaterials⁸ to pack more power into a smaller package-essentially to do for the electric car what silicon did for the personal computer. Some experts expect ranges of 500 miles to be commonplace⁹ within a decade. For most commentators, the pros will unquestionably outweigh the cons at that point.

• charging stations
• fuel costs
• CO2 and NO2
• short range
• lithium-ion batteries
• smaller and more powerful

• dioxide
• destination
• essentially
• ion
• finite
• instability

A Mass of Green

Using mass transit is often mentioned on lists of things people can do to reduce their environmental footprints. The reasoning is simple: twenty people on one bus use less fuel to go the same distance than they would in twenty cars. We should not, however, infer that public transportation is a perfect solution. Most buses still run on diesel fuel, a major polluter. And even electric subway systems draw power from power stations, which may be burning coal. By current estimates, public transportation accounts for as much as twenty-five percent of the world's energy usage and carbon emissions. This is why environmental scientists are searching for ways to make public transportation more environmentally sustainable.

One successful initiative has been the introduction of hybrid vehicles. Hybrids have both a standard fuel engine and an electric motor, which increases fuel efficiency. The advantages of hybrids over conventional buses, for instance, have been dramatic. New York City currently has the largest hybrid fleet in the world, which makes that city an interesting test case. One 2009 study found an increase in fuel efficiency of forty-five percent. And in a ten-year period, nitrogen oxide pollution was reduced by fifty-eight percent. Pollution from diesel particulates (soot) was reduced by an amazing ninety-seven percent.

Other major metropolitan areas have followed New York's lead. London is a good example. The city currently has a problem with air pollution, and in response, officials bought thirty-seven all- electric versions of those famous red double-decker buses.