Fossil Fuels in Transportation
Since the mid-1950s, oil has become the most important source of energy in developed countries, supplying roughly 34% of all energy needs in the world. Oil along with natural gas and coal account for 88% of the earth’s energy usage while alternate sources make up the rest. In addition to providing heat for homes and powering industries, oil is used as fuel for transportation. In the United States, the largest consumer of oil in the world, 70% of this resource is used just for transportation. Internal combustion vehicles burn these fossil fuels as energy and release carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, as a by-product. The EPA reports that in 2018, transportation accounted for more than a quarter of emissions in the United States. To reduce our carbon footprint and save our planet, we must move towards cleaner power for vehicles. Thankfully, crucial economic factors in the transportation sector are in favor of a transition to renewable energy. With the price of oil on the rise and the resource's supply dwindling, the automotive industry is rapidly shifting to a more environmentally friendly and economically efficient method of powering vehicles, in the form of decarbonized electricity.
Leading the Change with Zero Carbon Vehicles
Electric vehicles (EVs) are revolutionizing the automotive industry by cutting costs of maintenance and power, making these vehicles cheaper to run, and providing a due payback over the years after the initial cost of buying the vehicle. In addition to being economically sustainable long term, these vehicles are extremely beneficial for the environment as they reduce emissions from vehicles that would otherwise contribute to climate change, smog, acid rain, etc. Such phenomena are detrimental to people all over the world and affect all types of organisms. By improving general health for humans and significantly reducing the negative environmental impact of transportation, EVs are paving the path for a greener future. By using renewable energy and electricity to power cars, countries can also increase their energy security as they become less reliant on high carbon energy imports like oil and gas. With this greater energy security, the idea of a shift to more renewable energy and the preservation of natural resources can finally become a reality for the countless countries that heavily rely on their natural resources to fuel many aspects of their society. With EVs already becoming more accessible and cheaper each year, it wouldn’t be too much to say that they could compete with combustion-engine cars in the future and evolve the standard of transportation while also benefiting our environment.
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