Malena Rivera Merediz

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The car of the future
Electric cars have become popular over the years, since most people are becoming aware
of the dangers of global warning and are trying to minimize them. There are three types of
electric cars: the ones that run on gasoline and a battery, the ones that run on battery and can
be recharged, and the ones that the battery recharges when gasoline is used. In this essay we
are going to talk about the electric cars in general. Although electric cars are not the ideal eco
car, they are better than the regular gasoline cars. Electric vehicles are also very quiet when
they are using electricity which minimizes noise pollution given by the car. There are several
types of pollution in the world; like air factories, cars, etc can produce pollution, which is
when the air that we breathe in is mixed with harmful chemicals or fumes. When these fumes
and chemicals are released into the air, they damage the atmosphere, which creates damages
in the ozone layer. In the end this harmful effect damages the planet and the humans that live
in it. Another type of pollution is noise pollution, which comes from high frequencies, loud
music, building activities, other activities that cause a lot of noise, and some that people
cannot hear nor register. There are other types of pollution as soil, water, thermal pollution
but for this essay they are not important. Electric cars are better than gasoline powered
vehicles because they save us money, they are less damaging to the environment and are
safer for our health.

There will always be people who stand against progress, and try to eliminate that
progress; the same happened and keeps happening with electric cars. As we are going to see
in the next paragraph, electric cars are not cheap. Electric cars are expensive, compared to
normal gasoline vehicles. Although the government is making incentives and propaganda to
promote them and lower the price, they are still expensive. Another point against electric cars
is that they have short range and it takes a long time to refuel. According to a study that the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology did, it claimed that when coal is used to
produce electricity, more greenhouse gases are emitted. Since electric cars are using that
electricity, they are one of the causes for these greenhouse gases to be released. The study
also states that electric car factories produce more toxic waste; hence they contaminate more
the environment. But in places where they rely a lot on coal, the electric cars dont really help
that much. Electric cars also produce an electromagnetic field that some people are very
sensitive to it. There is a reported case where a female driver stated that while steering her
hybrid, she fell asleep on the wheel three times. The effects, as the female driver claimed,
had to do with her blood pressure rising because of the electromagnetic fields. These
examples serve as counterpoints to the idea that electric cars are good.
Even though electric cars are not that cheap, they save us more money on fuel than
gasoline cars. Since electric cars have an engine that runs on gasoline and electricity, it
requires less gasoline. You can always alternate between the two fuels, and like that you can
manage how much gasoline you use. In most electric cars if you are driving under 40 mpg
the car uses electricity, if you go above the 40 mpg the car starts using gasoline. Based on
electricity rates in 50 cities across the United States, the analysis found drivers can save $750
to $1,200 dollars a year compared to operating an average new compact gasoline vehicle (27

mpg) fueled with gasoline at $3.50 per gallon. Higher gas prices would mean even greater
EV fuel cost savings. For each 50 cent increase in gas prices, an EV driver can expect save
an extra $200 a year (Shahan 2). As we can see a person can save a lot of money on gas that
can be used for better things like spending time with family.
When electric cars are using battery there is no tailpipe emission, hence it lowers CO2
emission. Gasoline comes from petroleum which is a non-renewable resource, that means
that when we finish it is gone and take at least 100 years (give or take some years) to create
more. This is why we need to lower its use, since, according to Joseph Romm Roughly 97%
of all energy consumed by our cars, sports utility vehicles, vans, trucks, and airplane is still
petroleum-based (1). Trees transform CO2 into oxygen, but since there are lees trees less
oxygen is being produced but the levels of CO2 keep rising. These causes what most people
call global warning. The 1992 Energy Policy Act established the goal of having alternate
fuels replace at least 10% of petroleum fuels in 2000, and at least 30% in 2010( Romm 2).
Since the year that the act was established measures have been taken to lower our
dependency on petroleum so that future generations may use it either more caution. In places
where the power plants run on clean energy; adding electric vehicles to those places will
lower even more the contaminants that we have in the air, in our homes and almost
anywhere.
Since electric cars are better for the environment they must be better for our health.
According to WHO (World Health Organization): Electric fields are created by differences
in voltage: the higher the voltage, the stronger will be the resultant field. Magnetic fields are
created when electric current flows: the greater the current, the stronger the magnetic field.
An electric field will exist even when there is no current flowing. If current does flow, the

strength of the magnetic field will vary with power consumption but the electric field
strength will be constant. By this definition we can see that electric fields are related to the
magnetic field. Electromagnetic fields are produced in the environment by the electric
charges that build up over time and are mostly known by thunderstorms. EMF can also be
found in X-ray machines, radio waves, and even from power sockets. The electromagnetic
fields go from 300Hz to 300GHz according to WHO, where the highest frequency comes
from radiofrequencies. . But what most people dont know is that electric cars transmit an
electromagnetic fields that for some may cause dizziness and other effects. According to one
test done on electromagnetic cars the magnetic field given off by the car is lower than 20%.in
comparison to the recommended values given by the International Commission on NonIonizing Radiation Protection. Some of the side effects of the electromagnetic fields are
depression, headaches, memory problems, miscarriages and puts a person more capable of
having cancer. All these side effects come from the people that are more sensitive to
magnetic fields, but it can still happens to anyone in the future. Like almost everything else
in the long run it may affect you but does no necessarily mean that it may happen. The
problem with the electromagnetic fields is that there is not enough research and facts to say
that it may or may not effect a persons health. Many people make conclusions based on
things that have happened to one person or are based on the little research that there is.
In conclusion, electric cars are better for the environment but we still need to look for
better alternatives. We need to lose our dependence on petroleum and that will help the
environment even more. Even though the price on an electric car is high, since it uses less
gasoline, the money used for gasoline will be less. Scientist need to continue studying the
effects of the electromagnetic fields on the human being and ways to minimize them. I

believe alternative energy certainly has a future, but I also think the people who develop
these technologies must consider other health aspects of their creations, so they dont just
swap one kind of pollution with another(Melody 2). The point for lowering the carbon
dioxide emissions and global warming is to have a better future for the next generation.
Research should continue to improve the electric cars and to find other fuels that are save but
that dont depend on petroleum.

References:
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"What Are Electromagnetic Fields?" WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 02 Dec.
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