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The host discusses the drawbacks of electric cars and why they may not be the best choice at the moment. One main concern is the harmful impact of lithium mining, which destroys habitats and depletes water sources. Additionally, electric cars may not be as clean as they seem because they rely on energy sources like coal, which pollute the atmosphere. There are also performance issues, such as limited range and longer refueling times. Interviews with an electric car owner and a truck driver highlight some of these challenges. Overall, until improvements are made in energy sources and manufacturing, gas cars remain a better option. Advocacy for cleaner energy alternatives is necessary for a greener future. Hello and welcome to the Driver's Dilemma, I'm your host of today's episode, Brady Robinson. Today we are going to be discussing electric cars. Recently there has been a huge push for an increase in production of electric vehicles. With that, manufacturers are stopping production on many famed gas vehicles. Today I'm going to tell you guys why electric cars aren't the best choice for right now. We all know that gas vehicles have tailpipe emissions that have negative effects on the environment and pollute the air, and that's why there have been restrictions that manufacturers have placed with the new emission standards. There is also a new push for a greener option with electric vehicles. These EVs on paper seem to be an easy fix, but unfortunately they pose their own set of problems. Because of this, we are going to be taking a deep dive into both electric and gas cars, and I'm going to inform you on why I think gas is a better option for right now. Our first topic is going to be electric vehicles and lithium mining. Electric vehicles lead to more lithium mining, which is having a harmful impact on the planet. These electric vehicles use lithium batteries for power. These batteries are made from lithium, which is a finite resource, and that must be mined from deep underground. These mines are huge and destroy the habitats of all flora and fauna around. The increase in demand of electric vehicles is causing expansion and growth of these mines, which causes more and more destruction of habitats. With repeated destruction of habitats, it causes biodiversity of these areas to worsen. In a journal by Rene B. Konda on potential environmental impacts of lithium mining, he stated, the currently popular method of extracting lithium from natural brines causes the loss of about 95% of brine-extracted water, severely depleting natural aquifers on which local communities depend. Water from these aquifers is vital to society. Without that, we don't have anywhere near the amount of clean drinking water that we do. As these aquifers deteriorate, so do our water supply, making this a very pressing concern. Later in the journal, Konda said, in addition to the toxic chemicals used during lithium processing, trace amounts of lithium can also be found in water storage ponds, tailing piles, processed waters, evaporated basins, and transported products. These have biophysical consequences, which could adversely impact human metabolism, neuronal communication, soil ecology, and aquatic life. There are countless ways that lithium mines are negative and harmful to the environment, and all this evidence just shows it. The scary thing is, is that more and more lithium mines are being created, and that with the increase in popularity of electric vehicles, this is only going to get worse. Our next topic are emissions. Fast vehicles are constantly emitting when running. Because of their combustion engines, it is just a fact of driving one. Over the years, there have been more and more restrictions to combat their emissions, but older vehicles without these changes still roam. Even with these new restrictions, these vehicles still pollute the air. According to the EPA, a typical passenger vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is nothing to scoff at. That is a lot of carbon, and that carbon gets trapped in our atmosphere and creates a blanket. That blanket traps in heat and causes global warming. The other hand, electric vehicles are not polluting from their exhausts, but that's because they don't have one. But they are getting their energies from dirty sources. According to an article from the Guardian, the U.S. gets about a third of its electricity from coal-fired power. The IEA says, and more than 40% of the total electricity worldwide comes from burning coal. This coal is burned in huge factories that pollute many different gases into our atmosphere. So with the amount the U.S. is relying on coal, it has become a more dominant source of energy, making electric vehicles not as clean. If an electric vehicle is relying on a dirty source for power, it then becomes less of a green option because it is using dirty energy and causing emissions through that. Finally, electric cars have differences in performance that make them less effective at times. Although electric cars are able to utilize instant torque, they have issues with range and functionality in practical fields. All cars have power that's measured by two main ratings. These two ratings are horsepower and torque. Horsepower is a measurement of power, and torque is a measurement of ability to do work. A car with more torque is able to pull more and do it more efficiently. Electric cars naturally have far more torque, and they're able to utilize it instantly because of their electric motors. The other day, I sat down with my stepfather, Vince Arlinga, and his cousin, Nick Arquilla. Nick is a fellow car enthusiast and has a Tesla Model 3. As an owner of an electric vehicle, he is here to talk about his experience daily driving an EV. What is your experience owning an electric car? Uh, well, yeah, I mean, it's fast, I don't have to worry about going to a gas station and paying the ridiculous prices, but then again, I can't just go to a gas station and fill it up, I have to go to a supercharger and wait a half hour for the charge, so the timing's not always the greatest. Overall, from my discussion with Nick, I learned that he does enjoy his car, but there are multiple drawbacks that come with it. The main issue that we discussed was the fact that range is limited as well as places to fuel. With gas cars, there are stations everywhere for you to fuel up your car, and it takes just a minute, but with electric cars, you have to find a supercharger and take the time for it to recharge. I also sat down and spoke with my stepfather, Vince Arlinga. Vince Arlinga is a truck driver and has been doing it for about 30 plus years. I wanted to talk to him about how he thinks electric vehicles will impact the trucking industry and his overall view on them. Do you think they're going to impact the transportation and the trucking industry? I don't think they will because of their limited range, initial cost, again, and cost of maintenance as the batteries wear. So I don't think they will affect the heavy trucking industry. I don't think they will ever replace the diesel engines. I agree with everything Vince said. I believe that if they want to make diesel trucks become a thing of the past, they need to make huge changes to electric vehicles. That includes better towing capacity and more reliable range. To wrap up everything that we have discussed today, I would like to end with this. Electric cars are not a solution for right now. Until energy sources can be cleaned up and lithium mining can stop rapidly expanding or become more efficient, electric cars are not a greener alternative to gas cars. There needs to be a change in where our energy is coming from before a change in what vehicles we use can be made. As citizens, we must do what we can to advocate for cleaner energy alternatives and use more equal friendly transportation options. Gas cars are not a great option for the planet right now, but for now, they are one of the best options we have. Electric vehicles have the ability to become the better alternative, but until changes are made in their manufacturing and energy sources, they should stay on the back burner. I'm your host, Brady Robinson, signing off another episode. Thank you for listening and drive fast.