In (Partial) Defense of Electric Vehicles

By Shayne Cytrynbaum '25 
For several months, the media has been flooded with increasingly negative portrayals of electric vehicles, claiming that they are somehow less sustainable, less equitable and more expensive to manufacture than gas- or diesel-powered vehicles. While electric vehicles are certainly not perfect, this popular assessment is dead wrong.

Before I start lauding the merits of electric vehicles, let me begin by stressing that no cars are “good.” The culture of car dependency started in the 1950s, born out of a misguided dream arising in the Golden Age of American industry, a dream that never materialized. 
Urban planners like Robert Moses hoped to use the automobile to renew America’s cities, but they did so by destroying entire neighborhoods to make way for highways and car infrastructure, mostly in poorer neighborhoods home to immigrants and people of color. The remaining communities located next to car infrastructure now face corollary problems like food deserts and hotter urban microclimates and face higher rates of asthma and lung disease (which is caused directly by the thousands of smoke-emitting cars driving by each day, not “poor living conditions” or “the use of illegal drugs,” as some critics have suggested). 
    “I’m not going to say that I’m not surprised that this is happening know the effects that carbon emissions from cars have on the climate and the air around us,” said GOA junior and automobile aficionado Solomon Langer. “But while I do believe there are solutions to this problem, I believe it is going to take longer than just coming up with something right now. I really think it needs to be studied in-depth and done right.”
The negative effects of car dependency have been well-established for decades among urban designers, sociologists and environmental justice experts. Opposition to the ever-expanding highways that cover America has only grown since the “urban renewal” project started in the 1950s. Rather than making perfect little suburbs where everything is available, far away from the hustle-and-bustle of the city, car dependency has instead forced longer drives that take up time and money, contribute to pollution and the climate crisis, increase the likelihood of car crashes and worsen our stress levels as we sit in traffic. There is a reason why so many Americans reminisce about their college campuses and why trips to Disneyland or Europe are so popular: walkable, green streets with fewer cars are just more pleasant to be in than wide, traffic-filled roads surrounded only by gas stations and McDonald’s. 
Although they contribute far less to air pollution and the climate crisis than traditional vehicles, electric vehicles still reinforce the problems that come with car dependency. While electric cars are a great replacement for gas-powered cars, the best solution is still municipal policies that encourage the use of public transit, walking and cycling and that fight car dependency.
This all being said, electric vehicles (EVs) are still far better than gas-powered, diesel-powered, or hybrid vehicles. In terms of CO2 emissions per mile, almost every single EV on the market is better for the climate than gas cars. In fact, the biggest EVs on the market, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning truck (~6,500 lbs), the Ram 1500 REV truck (~7,500 lbs) and the GMC Hummer EV truck (~9,000 lbs), are comparable to the smallest gas-powered cars (which weight only 3,000 lbs or less) in terms of carbon emissions, producing around 300-350 grams of CO2 per mile. Meanwhile, the non-electric versions of those same vehicles can produce upwards of 800 grams of CO2 per mile. 
“The reason gasoline cars and trucks are so much more climate-polluting is that they are so much less efficient,” explains climate analyst and self-described “chart geek” Barry Saxifrage. 
“Put another way, gasoline vehicles need to burn a lot more fuel to produce the same amount of useful energy. That results in more emissions for the same energy.” Gasoline car engines produce 33% more CO2 than a coal plant would produce for the same amount of energy, and the electricity powering electric vehicles is seldom ever from just coal, normally being a mixture of electricity derived from fossil fuels and renewables.
Another major (and false) talking point used by opponents of EVs is that their batteries are less sustainable due to the amount of mining needed, as EVs need hard-to-come-by minerals such as lithium, cobalt and “rare earth metals” for their batteries. 
While the mining of these minerals is undoubtedly bad for the environment and for the workers in the developing countries where these minerals are often mined, the mining required to sustain gas cars is still much worse. 
“I’ve heard information from all over the place regarding electric car batteries, on both sides of the issue,” said junior Matthew Simon. “As far as I know, electric car batteries are not very sustainable, but they are still less bad than gas cars, so therefore, I support EVs. There’s also been a lot of investment in battery recycling, with some calling the metals extracted from recycled batteries the ‘new black gold’ due to how lucrative it can be, which is a benefit of EVs.”
According to a recent study by climate journalist Michael Thomas, “Every year, 15 billion tons of fossil fuels are mined and extracted. That’s about 535 times more meaning than a clean energy economy would require in 2040.” He further explained, “Part of the reason for this massive difference in mining requirements is the fact that fossil fuel infrastructure is much less energy efficient than clean energy technology… Gas-powered cars are three times less efficient than electric vehicles.”
Another study, this one by researchers at the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute in Houston, found that “Even if the world increased 12-fold the annual global production of all rare earths, lithium, cobalt and even copper, the metals produced would comprise just 3% of 2020 world coal production,” and that “Over two decades, five times more power would be produced by mining an equivalent amount for wind rather than coal.”
Concerns over the sourcing of said minerals, meanwhile, have been alleviated by the recent discovery of what could be the world’s largest lithium ore deposit along the Oregon-Nevada border. Mining for lithium, cobalt and “rare earth metals” has also been increasing in countries with better human rights records, such as Australia, Chile and Argentina. This means that an EV-driving society will not need to rely on despotic regimes like China for their batteries for much longer and that EVs can help foster trade within the democratic world.
Outside the issue of their sustainability, one of the most common critiques of electric vehicles is their cost. This is a criticism I can frankly understand, and it is, in fact, why my parents still drive gas-powered cars. However, many EVs are becoming much cheaper: the Nissan Leaf has lowered its base price to $28,140, the Chevrolet Bolt EUV is now $28,795 and the Mini Cooper SE Electric costs $30,900. While these are certainly not cheap, they are far less expensive than they were just five years ago and still remain significantly lower than the average price of a new car, which is currently over $48,000. Increases in federal subsidies to EV manufacturers and tax credits for consumers are together making EVs more affordable. Those concerned about the costs of EVs for lower-income families should understand that the climate crisis is going to hurt their pockets much more in the long run, as drought and crop failures will drive up food costs, home insurance premiums increase and extra repairs are needed to protect against storms, floods and fires. 
    Electric vehicles are clearly not perfect, and in many ways, they perpetuate the ills of car dependency by dishonestly presenting themselves as a completely sustainable, green option. However, they are still far better for the planet and our communities than gas-powered cars; they produce less greenhouse gasses, need less mining and cause less asthma and pulmonary diseases. So, while electric vehicles are not the end-all-be-all solution, until we as a society finally move away from car dependency and invest in public transit and walkability in cities, electric cars are a better replacement for gas-powered cars.

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