We switched our primary/go-to car from petrol to full electric vehicle (EV) a couple of months ago.
Two-thirds of the world’s oil consumption is used to fuel cars and trucks. Transport emissions are second only to electric generation as a source of carbon dioxide, accounting for a 23 percent share of all emissions. A Project Drawdown analysis on EVs shows that achieving just 16% EV ownership by 2050 translates to 10.8 Gigatons of reduced carbon dioxide (CO2). That’s a LOT of CO2 that will not be released – click here to give you a heads up of what reduced CO2 helps our planet.
If you have a need for a new vehicle, why not consider switching to EV. There are many reasons why EVs are the way to go with your next vehicle. The top three that stood out for my personal situation are:
- SIGNIFICANTLY less carbon footprint when using the EV compared to the petrol car. EVs produce zero direct emissions. It helps a lot too that where I live, the grid power source to charge the battery comes from hydro so the fossil fuel is completely cut out from the picture when using the car.
- No fumes, no tailpipes, no pollution.
- EVs are just inherently more efficient than petrol powered cars. EVs convert about 60% of its electrical energy to power at the wheels while typical petrol cars covert about 15% of the energy stored in gasoline to move the car. That equates to a four-fold efficiency increase. I’ll take that.
One of the misconceptions about choosing sustainable practices is that doing so always requires some form of sacrifice. False. We found that the EV is more enjoyable to drive than our previous diesel-powered car. I am not a gearhead but what is truly enjoyable is knowing that we are being kind to our planet when driving our vehicle because of zero emission. I am also voting with my $ against oil companies when doing something as mundane as going from point A to B.
We still have a long way for EV adoption. A 2017 study shows that shares of EV car ownership in the USA and Canada is less than 1% of the market. In contrast, EV adoption in Europe is much higher especially in Norway where a third of cars are EV.
Three months into EV car ownership, we have found out that EVs works best for us considering the amount and type of driving we do. Even my wife who loves her big gasoline drinking SUV dearly now uses the EV for most of her trips. Yes, we still keep the petrol car but have been using the EV if we need to drive.
Bye, bye petrol engine. It has been a long run but I do not see where you are going and if I will still carry on the journey with you. I still need you but less and less moving forward. I will be spending more time with my renewable partner 🙂
As usual, I would love to read your comments.