Are Electric Cars Really the Future?

Vocabulary Review

Claim (verb) - to say something is true.

Example: The company claims their new phone has the best camera.

Criticize (verb) - to say what you think is wrong or bad about something.

Example: Many people criticize the government's new policy.

Practicality (noun) - how useful or sensible something is in real situations.

Example: The practicality of walking everywhere depends on how far you need to go.

Tailpipe (noun) - the pipe at the back of a car where exhaust gases come out.

Example: Black smoke came out of the old car's tailpipe.

Emissions (plural noun) - gases or substances that are sent out into the air.

Example: Factories are trying to reduce their harmful emissions.

Enormous (adjective) - extremely large.

Example: The elephant was an enormous animal.

Convert (verb) - to change something from one form to another.

Example: You can convert dollars into euros at the bank.

Significant (adjective) - important or noticeable.

Example: There was a significant difference in the test scores.

"on the surface" (idiom) - how something appears at first glance, before closer inspection.

Example: On the surface, the plan seemed easy, but it had many hidden problems.

Critic (noun) - a person who says what is wrong or bad about something.

Example: The movie critic gave the film a bad review.

Posit (verb) - 'to suggest' or assume something as a fact or for discussion.

Example: Scientists posit that the universe is constantly expanding.

Myriad (noun) - a very large number of something.

Example: There are a myriad of stars visible in the night sky.

Green (adjective) - good for the environment.

Example: Solar power is a green energy source.

Infamous (adjective) - well-known for something bad.

Example: The pirate Blackbeard was infamous for his cruelty.

Counterproductive (adjective) - having the opposite effect to what you want. Example: Yelling at children can be counterproductive and make them more upset.

With ease (idiom) - very easily, without difficulty.

Example: She solved the difficult puzzle with ease.

Infrastructure (noun) - the basic systems and services that a country or organization needs to work properly (e.g., roads, bridges, electricity, water supply).

Example: Good public transport is part of a city's infrastructure.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) offer numerous benefits to society and the environment, and they are expected to replace gas engine cars completely before 2040. However, many people are debating whether these "environmentally-friendly" vehicles are really as good as they claim to be - and even if they are, many people also criticize their lack of practicality.

EVs and HEVs offer two main benefits. Firstly, these vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions. In other words, they do not contribute to air pollution, which is an enormous issue in many highly populated cities. Secondly, EVs and HEVs are much more energy efficient than gas-engine cars, which actually lose a significant amount of energy when converting gas to power.

• what does "zero tailpipe emissions" mean?

Additionally, EVs and HEVs do not directly contribute to the use of fossil fuels, which is another significant advantage.

However, while these alternative vehicles seem perfect on the surface, they are not always as innocent as they may seem. One of the biggest complaints that critics posit is that while these electric vehicles don't use a gasoline engine, it doesn't mean that the electricity they use is green. If we consider the United States as an example, a significant percent of their electricity is produced using gas and coal, whereas only a small percent is produced from green sources.

In fact, there seem to be a myriad of other complaints about these electric vehicles.

To start, the batteries used in EVs and HEVs are quite controversial. The manufacturing process itself is anything but environmentally friendly. Creating batteries not only requires a lot of energy to be used at factories, but also cobalt and lithium – and the process of acquiring these is not only destructive to the environment but also infamously relies on child labor. Additionally, cars have an end-of-life process. This process is quite simple for gasoline engine cars, but the batteries used in EVs and HEVs require a much more complicated process. Due to this, many batteries end up in landfills, and this is absolutely terrible for the environment.

But the complaints don't stop at the batteries; many people also argue that even the tires and brakes of these vehicles are rendering these vehicles counterproductive. Because these vehicles are significantly heavier, their tires and brakes wear out and need to be replaced much faster. This also results in a form of air pollution that may have health impacts similar to the air pollution caused by traditional gas-engine cars.

However, one of the biggest impracticalities of these EVs and HEVs is their need for charging stations. While gasoline can be delivered to remote, rural locations with ease, electric charging stations require expensive infrastructure upgrades to be made  which is both difficult and time consuming.

But regardless of the countless arguments that are made against EVs and HEVs, at the end of the day they might very well be the next car you buy - whether you prefer them or not. And all things considered, they are still (somewhat) better for the environment than gas-engine cars and they are one of the biggest efforts humans have taken towards protecting the environment.

Comprehension Questions:

1. The article mentions "zero tailpipe emissions." What does this mean?

2. What are the main problems with EV batteries?

3. Why does the article say that tires and brakes on EVs can also cause air pollution?

4. According to the article, what is the biggest problem with the "practicality" of EVs?

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think about the criticism of EVs and HEVs?

2. Would you consider buying an electric car? Why or why not?

3. Do you think these EVs and HEVs will really replace gas-engine cars?

4. would it be a good idea to ban people from using traditional gas-engine cars, but only in highly populated cities?

5. What else can humans do to mitigate the negative impact we have on the environment?

6. Do people need to have cars today? - What are the pros and cons of having a car or not having a car?

7. Does your country have a lot of pollution? What do you think is the cause?

8. Have you ever, or do you want to go on a road trip?

9. How much money would someone have to give you to replaces your car with a bicycle? Would you enjoy riding a bicycle everywhere?