How Do Electric Cars Benefit Large Cities?

If you have the latest mobile phone and are keeping up with all the latest technological trends and innovations, there is no reason to still drive a conventional fossil fuel-powered car.

If you really want to run with the rest of the world and enjoy the real benefits of modern and futuristic automobile technology, you need to switch to driving an electric car.

Not only will investing in an electric car drastically reduce your annual running costs, but the lowered GHG emissions and reduced fossil fuel dependency will also benefit the large city you live in.

How Do Electric Cars Benefit Large Cities?

The global automobile industry is one of the world’s largest, oldest, and fastest growing industries, ever since the introduction of the first automobile back in the day.

It has brought forth multiple groundbreaking innovations that have allowed today’s consumers to reach their destination in the fastest and most comfortable way possible.

One such innovation that has completely evolved and changed the course of the entire automobile industry is the invention and commercial introduction of electric cars.  

Almost all the major and most well-renowned automobile companies, such as Audi, Mercedes, Honda, etc., have designed and launched their own electric cars packed with the most modern and sophisticated technologies the world has ever seen.

Hence, if you are ready to change your car or are about to buy your first car and are still looking at the options available to you, this is the right time to consider buying an electric car.

Although people who have not yet experienced driving an electric car are often skeptical about buying a battery-powered vehicle, a little research is usually enough to make them understand why the transition from gasoline to electricity is necessary.

This is especially important if you live in a large metropolitan city with roads populated with thousands of cars every day.

Moreover, since city life is hectic and almost every adult needs to go to work to afford the rent and other expenses of living in a large city, it is impossible to reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

As a result, the higher the number of vehicles on the road, the higher the average and annual GHG emissions, which will negatively affect the breathable air and the quality of life.

However, just because you cannot reduce the number of vehicles on the road does not mean you also cannot control air pollution and GHG emissions.

As long as more people keep driving electric cars as frequently as possible, the air pollution and quality of living are bound to improve.

Continue reading to learn how electric cars benefit large cities and how local governments can encourage the purchase and use of electric vehicles to improve the city’s air and living conditions.

Moreover, the article will also shed light on some additional tips that you can follow to further reduce the average GHG emissions, and decrease your carbon footprint.

Let’s get started!

What Are the Top Ways Electric Cars Benefit Large Cities?

Environmentalists and automobile experts around the world continue to encourage people to shift to electricity-based modes of transport.

Although people were initially skeptical about leaving the combustion engine vehicles they had been driving for decades, many were soon won over and convinced by the many benefits of owning an electric car.

Some of the ways electric cars benefit large cities are as follows:

1. Driving an Electric Car Helps Reduce Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

One of the most convincing reasons people around the world vouch for using and purchasing electric cars is that these modern vehicles are designed to reduce air pollution and control annual GHG emissions.

Although to an average person, an electric car may seem very similar to a traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicle, in reality, the mechanisms and basic engineering of both cars are completely different.

What Makes Traditional Vehicles Problematic?

A traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicle comes with a combustion engine and a motor designed to burn gasoline or diesel in order to produce kinetic energy to get the vehicle moving from a stop.

Although the gasoline burned to produce kinetic energy is not the problem here, the byproducts of the combustion reaction cause the real problem.

As the fossil fuel is burned, the carbon and hydrogen react to form molecules of Carbon dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, and water.

These gases are then expelled into the atmosphere through the vehicle’s tailpipe.

Carbon Dioxide, being the main greenhouse gas, works by trapping the sun’s heat energy in the atmospheric bubble. This warms up the earth and the oceans, leading to global warming.

Moreover, whenever Carbon Monoxide gas emissions are breathed in by a person on the road, the gas reacts with their blood by reducing its ability to carry oxygen. 

Furthermore, Nitrogen Dioxide poisoning can severely damage a person’s respiratory tract, resulting in diseases like lung cancer, asthma, lung infections, etc.

Although Sulfur Dioxide emissions do not directly harm human beings, they can result in acid rain, which can certainly harm the ecosystem.

What Makes Electric Cars the Ultimate Solution?

The mechanism that goes inside an electric car is designed to make it the vehicle of the future. Unlike a traditional car, an electric car does not come with a combustion engine.

Instead, it comes with a chemical lithium-ion battery and an electric motor that work together to produce the kinetic energy needed for the vehicle to start moving.

As a result, since there is no combustion reaction going inside the car’s electrical engine, no greenhouse gases are emitted. This is the main reason why electric cars do not need a tailpipe.

Hence, the higher the number of citizens driving electric cars, the fewer GHG emissions we will see.

As a matter of fact, according to a European study, a single electric car has the ability to help save 1.5 million grams of CO2 in just one year.

Eventually, with lesser emissions in the atmosphere, the quality of breathable air will go up, and humans and the ecosystems will be saved from harm. 

2. Pedestrians and Cyclists are Able to Move More Comfortably with More Electric Cars Around

As discussed above, replacing a gasoline-powered car with an electric car on the road will reduce millions of grams of CO2, CO, and NO2 molecules.

As a result, the city’s air will be cleaner, more breathable, lighter, and less toxic. This will make walking or cycling around town a healthy activity that can improve the person’s health instead of deteriorating it.

Moreover, since fewer tailpipes will emit heat and gas on the road, walking and cycling around will generally become easier and less stressful.

3. Electric Cars Help Reduce the Dependency on Fossil Fuel Energy

The more the people of a city depend on fossil fuel-powered vehicles, the more the fuel will have to be brought into the city.

While this may not seem like a big problem initially, one must not ignore the potential hazard and threat giant oil tankers pose to the entire city.

One simple accident with a gas-carrying tanker can result in a disastrous explosion and multiple casualties.

Hence, by reducing a city’s dependency on fossil fuels, the chances of such major disasters and accidents are reduced.  

4. An Electric Car Can Help Reduce the Average Expenses of Living in a Large City

Living in a large city with modern infrastructure and progressive systems can be exciting and glamorous; however, it does come with a steep price.

The larger and more developed a city is, the higher the cost of living will be. Hence, an average person living in such a city needs to be able to afford the high rent, transportation costs, and purchase prices of simple consumer items.

Although an electric car will have no effect on your annual rent, it will significantly bring down your annual transportation costs.

Electricity around the world is much cheaper than fossil fuels, especially in today’s political climate. Hence, recharging an electric car is much more affordable than refueling a gasoline-powered vehicle.

Moreover, one can find many solar-powered or destination EV chargers that allow a person to recharge their electric car for free.

Furthermore, since the air quality will be much better, the chances of you or your children getting sick too frequently are reduced. As a result, your average medical expenses will also go down.

5. Fossil Fuel Energy Can be Used to Power Industries and Large Factories

Once the dependence on gasoline for transportation is reduced, the fossil fuel reserves can instead be used to power large factories and industries.

This will help create employment, will allow businesses to expand their operations, and will thus contribute to improving the country’s GDP.  

6. The Improved Air Quality Reduces the Chances of Road Accidents

With more gasoline-powered vehicles on the road during winter, the emissions, smoke, and soot can cause the build-up of atmospheric smog.

This is especially common in larger cities where there are thousands of vehicles on the road every day.

Not only will the smog be extremely toxic to humans, but it will also reduce a driver’s visibility, resulting in an increase in road accidents.

Hence, if a majority of the vehicles are replaced by electric cars, the chances of smog building up in the atmosphere will go down, and hence the incidences of road accidents will be reduced.

Read How Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Works

How Can the Local Government Encourage the Purchase and Use of Electric Cars?

The number of electric cars on the roads is significantly higher in countries where the local governments have actively participated in marketing the use and benefits of EVs.

Some ways that the local government can encourage the purchase and use of electric care are as follows:

• By launching bank loans with lower interest rates that can help make the purchase of an electric car more affordable for the general public.
• By funding marketing and awareness campaigns to eliminate the common misconceptions that people of a city have about electric cars.
• By finding ways to make commercial as well as domestic electricity cheaper.
• Increasing the number of public electric vehicle charging stations to make them more accessible to everyone.
• By funding projects to help install free-to-use public electric vehicle charging stations.

Read Where Can I Charge My Electric Car for Free?

Top Tips to Further Reduce Your Annual Carbon Footprint

If you are truly passionate about saving our planet and want to play your part in the environment, you need to find ways to reduce your annual carbon footprint.

Although electric cars can drastically reduce the annual GHG emissions, they still cannot eliminate them.  Hence, to further decrease your annual carbon footprint, you can follow the tips below:

• Try to use electricity-powered public transport as frequently as possible.
• Discourage the use of gasoline-powered public transport as much as possible by speaking out against it.
• If you and your friends or roommate are headed to the same destination, try to carpool on your or your friend’s electric car.
• Not only will this help reduce the emissions, but it will also reduce the chances of a road traffic jam.
• If your office, school, or mall is not too far, try to travel on an electric bike instead of using an electric car to further bring down the annual emissions.
• If you can, try to walk as frequently as you can.
• Not only will doing so reduce the annual GHG emission, but it will also help you benefit from a great cardio workout. 

Final Thoughts

In today’s world of global warming and rising GHG emissions, every person needs to play their part in saving the environment by shifting to electric cars.

Fortunately, the local governments of many large cities of the world like Tokyo, Beijing, NYC, etc., have been actively trying to make electric cars more affordable to encourage their frequent usage.

Moreover, although the initial purchase of an electric car is high, its extremely low running costs will surely make up for the costly investment.

Hence, if you want to reduce the average living costs in a big city and leave a better planet for your children, switch to driving an electric car now.

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