EV KB

What is so special about electricity?

The best way to reduce carbon emissions is to utilize the ever cleaner, greener, more renewable electric grid to power transportation. 

However lets look at few of the best alternative fuels that can be used for automobile propulsion and look at the advantages electricity provides over those.
  • Ethanol
             Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel that is made by fermenting and distilling crops such as corn, barley or wheat. Ethanol 
             can be blended with gasoline to increase octane levels and improve emissions quality.  
             We still have emissions and its not as if there are vast swathes of arable land that is available in our Earth to grow Ethanol instead of 
             food production.

  • Natural Gas or CNG
             Natural gas is an alternative fuel that burns clean and is already widely available. When used in natural gas vehicles—cars and 
             trucks with specially designed engines—natural gas produces far fewer harmful emissions than gasoline or diesel.  
             But there are emissions nevertheless. 

  • Hydrogen
             Hydrogen is also used in fuel-cell vehicles that run on electricity produced by the petrochemical reaction that occurs when hydrogen
             and oxygen are combined in the fuel “stack.”
             The reliable and steady source of hydrogen will have to be a hydrogen pipe line coming from a hydrogen purifier company. This is 
             impossible for now because we do not have hydrogen pumps at local gas stations or hydrogen pipe lines coming into our houses.
             It will also take billions of dollars of investment and a long time for all local gas stations to have a hydrogen pump. 
             Hydrogen also presents storage and pressurization challenges.

  • Electricity
              As compared to the above 3 fuel options, an electric powered vehicle stores energy in a battery and that energy is used to spin an
              electric motor which in turn propels the automobile.

             a) There are zero tail pipe emissions.  
             b) Of all the alternative transportation fuels, only electricity is infrastructure-ready, as electricity is available in all homes
                 and offices in all cities around the world.  
             c) Even if electricity is generated from coal fired power plants, the efficiency of the electric powered engine ensures
                 that there are benefits.
             d) True well-to-wheels zero emission driving can only be achieved near-term with renewably generated electricity, like solar, wind,
                 and hydro. In that case your electric powered vehicle will be the cleanest mode of transport.  
                 Cost per kilometer will always be cheaper with electricity.

       Mans greatest accomplishment is building the grid and discovering something as magical as electricity.
       So it makes sense to use the existing infrastructure and thus electric mobility is the best option we have now to get over
       this dependence of oil.
     
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