The Impact of Electric Vehicles

By Lia Low & Hiona Oyama

The Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in Vancouver is planning to have a zero-waste future by 2040. To achieve this goal, electric vehicles (EVs) are a likely part of the journey. EVs have been in the making for decades, with the first handful of them being produced in the 19th century. Within more recent years, they have had a spike in popularity due to increasing gas prices. Nowadays, one of the more significant goals for EVs is to assist in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but not all car owners are fully on board with the transition.

One of the more common reasons many people are reluctant to purchase a hybrid or electric car is the affordability, along with the accessibility to EV charging. Despite many EV chargers already being free to use, not having to pay for gas may not be enough for car owners to switch vehicles. The CleanBC program is working hard to make sure that EV charging stations are more widely available. This October, they announced thirty-nine new Fast and four new Level 2 charging stations across BC, bringing the total number of EV charging stations in the province above 3,000. A Level 2 charging station allows for faster charging than a Level 1 charging station, averaging up to eight times faster. This makes it easier for drivers with tight schedules to get their vehicles fully charged, which may help quell some drivers’ worries about running out of charge while on the road.

Another issue around hybrid and electrical cars is the batteries being used. When recycling these batteries, the lifecycle carbon emissions are often something that is overlooked. There have already been billions of dollars spent nationally to research ways to reduce the cost of manufacturing and recycling EV batteries, but there isn’t a concrete solution. BC is taking one of the first big steps in this by planning to add EV batteries made of lithium ions to the provincial recycling regulations in 2023. The programs and processes to ensure correct recycling of the batteries are planned to be completely operational by 2026. This is a crucial part of BC’s plan to have only carbon-zero vehicles for sale by 2040; it is estimated that there will be more than 2.5 million electric vehicles on the roadways by that time.

However, recycling isn’t the only concern that people have about EV batteries. As more people buy new electric vehicles, more batteries will need to be produced. This means that more minerals like lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, graphite, and other alternatives will have to be mined. Currently, these mining practices are plagued by human rights violations. There are an estimated 40 000 children in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lithium mining in Chile is crowding out the agricultural sector and contaminating soil, and fishers in Indonesia say that fish are disappearing from their traditional fishing grounds because of nickel mining in the area.

 

“Are EV Batteries Recyclable? Your Questions Answered | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 15 June 2022,www.cbc.ca/news/science/ask-electric-vehicle-battery-faq-1.6468646.  

“Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.” City of Vancouver, vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/climate-change-adaptation-strategy.aspx.  

Kathryn. “Re: A Citizen’s Concerns.” Received by Lia Low, 14 October. 2022. Email interview. 

“The History of the Electric Car.” Energy.gov, www.energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car.  

Teague, Chris. “Can Electric Car Batteries Be Recycled?” Autoblog, 3 Aug. 2022, www.autoblog.com/article/electric-car-battery-recycling-reuse-storage/.

 

Comments

  1. klausNovember 2, 2024 at 10:25 AM

    Have you ever driven up to a charging station only to discover that it broke down? You can trust El-Monde to charge your electric vehicle since their ev charging networks prioritise dependability and use the latest technology. Thanks to their constant maintenance and real-time updates, charging stations are almost always available when you need them. Your electric vehicle's charging needs have never been better met.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Columns

Image
By Megan Wong   Have you ever wondered where iconic architectural pillars came from? Well, the most common ones used today are considered the Classical Orders of Architecture which originated in ancient Greece and Rome. The five styles are called the Ionic, Doric, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite orders. They were used to define the style of the people living in certain areas of Europe and the era it was created in. Ionic Order The Ionic Order was created in ancient Greece by the Ionian Greeks in the 6th century. The column is primarily known for its two volutes as it gives the impression that the column is two-sided. It is also considered to be a more feminine version of the Doric column where the volutes and dart ornaments represent the female anatomy of ovaries and eggs. Others say that the volutes resemble scrolls to represent communication at the time. The order was created in Ionia, which we now know as Turkiye, and created some problems for architects at the time ...
Read more

Archery Club

Image
By Anna Segelken Templeton’s new Archery Club had its first meeting on Friday, October 4th. Ten people came out to shoot some arrows and have some fun. As president April Vander Ster says, archery is “good for training certain muscles, and for endurance and such, but I think more importantly, it’s something that can help with your mental health”. Members can expect an environment of calm, concentration, and community. I had the pleasure of trying out some archery, and it made me feel powerful, grounded, and connected to the past. Archery has been practiced for centuries, with evidence of the bow and arrow dating back approximately 72,000 to 60,000 years. Though the development of firearms rendered archers obsolete in warfare, the practice of archery has remained for hunting and sport, both competitive and recreational, like this club. The Archery Club will continue to meet during FIT on Fridays, in the small gym. Vander Ster is eager...
Read more

Getaway Car

Image
By Phoenix Nguyen   No, nothing good starts in a getaway car. The ties were black, and the lies were white; in shades of grey in candlelight. I hated it. I hated how we were. I hate that I was chasing make-belief status. I knew you tried to change the ending, but alas, Peter still lost Wendy. You never saw it coming, so I too blinded myself. ‘Tis was another fine evening in June. The chill of the northerly wind having given away in the late afternoon to a lovely warm stillness and clarity in the air. Far different from the atmosphere inside the car, far different from the cages and chains in my throat trapping those fierce claps from bursting my heart open, fluttering words up my throat, throwing up the butterflies that were pacing my mind since forever. Wise men say love is a rebellious bird, coming and going, passing by unbeknownst to us. If such is true, then I ought to be the wintriest place for any bird, for I have never experienced th...
Read more