Choices for automobile types provide environmentally friendly options

  Ever since modern electric cars came out in 1996, the debate if electric cars or gas-fueled cars are better has been going about.

     One of the pros of using an electric car is that it is better for the environment. According to Edfenergy, electric cars emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants over their life than petrol or diesel cars. Fully electric vehicles don’t use an exhaust system because they have no emissions. They don’t pump any fumes into the air like gas engines do.

     Another pro of owning an electric car is that electricity can be a renewable resource and gasoline cannot. Electric cars are powered naturally with renewable resources such as solar, wind, and water power. However, when you drive a non-electric car, you’re using gasoline which is created by using oil, a natural unrenewable resource.

    Junior Kaylyn Shew, says that her uncle owns an electric car, “the car sounds a lot different than normal cars, and it runs a lot smoother.”

     Another student, sophomore Madalyn Rutch, says that she “plans” on getting an electric car in the near future, once she gets her license. 

     Cost is another factor to consider when deciding between a gas or electric car. Electricity is cheaper than gas is, according to Car and Driver, electric cars typically cost one-third the cost of gas-powered vehicles to run. They also use regenerative braking to add to the energy the car requires to run, which is cost-free.

     Another bonus is that tax credits are available for owners of electric cars. Owners can get as much as $7500 in credit, depending on what state you’re in and which type of car you own. Some major highways have HOV lanes, which means high occupancy vehicles, in which you can bypass traffic during rush hour. This lane is also known as the carpool lane and is available to electric car drivers.

     Although there are many pros, there are also some cons to owning an electric car. One of the cons is that electric cars have a shorter range than gas-powered cars. An electric car can get between 60 and 100 miles on a full charge while depending on the car, some gas-fueled cars can make it up to 400 miles on a tank of gas.

     To add onto it, charging the battery to an electric car takes time. According to Carand Driver, filling up your gas tank takes about three minutes at the gas station, while recharging the battery of an electric car can take up to 20 hours to fully charge, depending on the model.

     However, with newer and more expensive models, they can charge as quickly as four hours.