Grant Stein
Period 1
Sept. 19, 2008
Electric Cars
Americans everywhere are complaining about the recent spike in gas prices.
They have inflated so much that many citizens are seriously thinking about becoming
more fuel-efficient and not driving their big gas-consuming vehicle all over the place.
Another problem facing the nation is air pollution, which clouds the air and is steadily
destroying our environment. The United States is involved in a costly war over control of
oil fields in the Middle East. We have all these problems because we drive great big gas-
guzzling vehicles all over the place. Many of these problems would be lessened, maybe
even solved, if we drove electric cars. Electric cars cost less money to run, do not depend
on foreign oil, and produce minimal amounts of pollution. We should all drive electric
cars to save money, become independent of foreign oil, and protect our environment.
Some people might say that today’s electric cars are too expensive to buy. Other
people would rather buy a gas-powered car because they enjoy revving their souped-up
engine. But, if more people began buying electric vehicles, the market would adjust to fit
the demand with lower prices and cooler models. Over a period of time, non-gasoline
vehicles would become more attractive and less expensive. Zero-emissions vehicles are
also cheaper to drive in the long run. They cost so much less because they do not require
over-priced gasoline. Ordinary citizens pay hundreds of dollars annually to drive their
gas-consuming cars and trucks. Maintenance costs are also considerably lower on
electric cars because they do not have heavy, complex engines such as ordinary cars do.
Electric cars can also be charged at night, when everyone is asleep and using very little
electricity. Isn’t that better than waiting at a smelly gas station for your enormous gas
tank to fill up? Most driving is done close to home anyway. For long-distance trips,
utilizing gas station networks with your internal-combustion car would be more efficient
until battery depots are established. Battery depots would allow you to exchange your
dead electric car battery for a fresh one, only for a small price. They would replace gas
stations when we stop using petroleum-thirsty vehicles, and would be much more
efficient. Until gas stations are replaced with battery depots, it is better to drive internal-
combustion vehicles for long journeys. But close to home, where the majority of driving
is done, electric cars would be much more efficient.
Driving highly efficient non-gasoline vehicles would make us less dependant on
expensive foreign oil. Foreign oil companies have inflated their gas prices to outrageous
costs, forcing Americans to spend much more money than necessary. Unfortunately, not
all Americans have enough money to pay such ridiculously high prices; that means
families must sacrifice other expensive activities like sports to pay for gasoline. If we did
not rely on oil from other countries, the United States would not needlessly spend
millions of dollars shipping the costly oil throughout our entire country. Everyone would
benefit if we broke away from those oil companies. Wouldn’t independence be nice?
Zero-emissions vehicles produce very small amounts of pollution, in comparison
with vehicles powered by gas-hungry internal-combustion engines. Approximately forty
percent of big-city air pollution is caused from emissions produced by petroleum-
powered cars and trucks. Ordinary internal-combustion engines release much more
carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide than electric cars. Cleaner carbon dioxide
emissions of up to ninety-nine percent takes place when driving an electric vehicle, as
compared to vehicles with an internal-combustion engine. Air pollution (smog) can
seriously harm our environment. Thick smog can literally kill healthy forests,
surrounding trees with a thick, heavy blanket of unnatural air filled with toxic chemicals.
Air pollution may also instigate lung disease and increase the risk of asthma for ordinary
citizens. Our environment would be much cleaner and healthier, and the amount of
carbon emissions decreased if we all drove electric cars.
We should all be driving electric cars because they cost less money to run,
produce minimal amounts of air pollution, and do not require over-priced oil from foreign
countries. If we all drove zero-emissions vehicles, we would have less impact on the
environment and not spend hundreds of dollars needlessly on expensive oil and gasoline.
Electric cars are by far the best for today’s economy and modern lifestyle. It’s a new fad
to “live green!” If your in the driver’s seat of an electric car, and the light turns green,
you’ll know you are!