Unless the energy used to drive electric vehicles is sustainable from the first kilometer to the last kilometer, it is not zero emission!
It is not surprising that electric vehicles are hailed as the future. We have witnessed the rise of Tesla and become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Many existing automobile manufacturers also offer electric vehicles in their product lines.
The reason against internal combustion engine is that it pollutes the environment, which is an undeniable fact. But in today's market, electric vehicles are also the cause of pollution, although this is not in the traditional sense.
Sustainable energy is the direction of world development, however, many efforts are still in the primary stage today. Ease of use and convenience play an important role in adopting any new form of technology.
Electric vehicles are not as complicated as aerospace science for users, and their layout is relatively simple. Some electric vehicles adopt plug-and-play charging mechanism. However, some brands make the experience more complicated.
Our discussion focuses on why electric vehicles are not the only solution in the future. Fuel cells and other forms of batteries can be stored, which can significantly reduce electronic waste and emissions, while bringing relative ease of use.
Problems of electric vehicles today
Despite the rapid technological progress, we must consider some problems of electric vehicles, such as charging time, charging station, relatively high initial cost, non-universal charging platform and fast-paced technological progress, which may make your latest purchase obsolete in a few months. In addition, due to efforts to make manufacturing technology sustainable, the total emissions involved in the future will not be too large.
Although the company promotes their high charging speed, there are not many such charging stations around the world. So you are still limited by the normal fast charging speed, and it will take half an hour or more to fully charge. Increasing the charging speed will adversely affect the health of the battery. However, lithium ion will be replaced soon, although the time is uncertain.
There are not many charging stations to make up for the increase in sales of new electric vehicles, which may lead to charging queues. Another problem is the cross-platform compatible charging cable. Although this has been solved to some extent, most electric vehicles still use special chargers.
Another thing is cruising range. Not many electric vehicles can provide enough or close to the ideal cruising range. Although you look at people, you still need to pay attention. In terms of pollution, there is little difference between hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles. Because electric vehicles are a rapidly developing industry, every upgrade will bring considerable improvement. Because of this, there may be a lot of e-waste coming in our direction.
Fuel cell is a good substitute.
The most obvious advantage of fuel cell is short charging time, because it uses chemical process to generate electricity, and the only thing it needs is to replenish fuel. Hydrogen is a common fuel source for fuel cells. Whenever it refuels, it is as convenient and quick as going to a gas station to refuel. So the basic idea is to use electric vehicles with large battery packs, and then replace the battery packs with fuel cells, hydrogen tanks and smaller batteries. Of course, there are disadvantages. There are not many hydrogen fuel stations, and hydrogen is not a clean or cheap fuel.
Synthetic (electronic) fuel cell
Porsche and Mobil have put forward an initiative. Porsche said that its synthetic (electronic) fuel uses carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce methanol, and methanol is the basis of fuel. According to Porsche, their manufacturing technology is also sustainable.
This process first uses carbon dioxide existing in the atmosphere and combines it with hydrogen produced by electrolysis. The required electricity is generated by renewable energy, which helps to maintain the sustainability of the whole process, but there are still some shortcomings. It is an arduous task to develop a huge new fuel. In addition, another consideration is the cost involved. Because this process consumes a lot of resources, synthetic fuel is expected to be much more expensive than ordinary gasoline.
Therefore, no matter which type of battery is used, at least for now, electric vehicles may not be the only way out for a sustainable future.