Misconception Of Electric Cars

In our modern society, nearly every person above the age of 16 drives a car, and I'm sure there are those that drive other things like cars too, such a tractors and combines that would be used for farming. All these cars giving off toxic emissions is clearly bad for the environment, it adds to the pollution that has already been instilled in the air from other sources, like large factories spewing smoke into the air. Thankfully people were able to realize that not only driving gas powered cars was bad, but that there are alternatives. The one solution to this that everyone thinks about are electric cars. The common misconception of electric cars though, is that they are "good" for the environment, which is clearly not true. You might say, "Sure,

Now this car is honestly in an entirely different class when compared to the current electric cars. The Tesla Motor company, much like other car companies received a loan from the government to help boost their production of more efficient electric cars, and Tesla has done just that. The Tesla Company not only were able to pay off the loan 5 years early, but also made an incredible car. Seating 7 passengers comfortably, with a 300 mile range, 8 hour complete charge time, 130MPH max speed and 0-60 in 4.4 seconds outclasses many of the current gas vehicles. Tesla also released a beautiful ad not long ago. It starts with a family going on a road trip in their Model S, and shows the beautiful scenery on their drive too. The car then stops at a Tesla charging station which is equipped with chargers that are powered by the sun through solar panels. That's right, powered by the sun, not coal or other fossil fuels, the sun. The commercial shows the amazing interior of the car, and then soon shows an oil pump off in the distance in a barren land, clearly showing how oil drilling is bad for the environment. Foljambe says "Vehicles in car ads exist within a natural world that is completely unaffected by their presence"(Foljambe 247). The commercial shown by Telsa has convinced me to disagree with Foljambe for this. This commercial is the first car commercial I have seen that

They don't have the power or efficiency that many Americans want and strive for yet. They are also not totally environmentally friendly as advertised, but through companies like Tesla, we can see that some car companies are trying to fix that. The biggest thing we can deduce from all this is what needs to be changed. First and foremost is the price of these cars. Very few people have the money to buy an electric car, they are simply too expensive and it's much easier to either get a hybrid, or just stick with gas powered cars. Also, electric cars must be made more efficient. If an electric car runs out of power, it's essentially a heavy brick that must be taken to a charging facility or to the owner's home to be charged. This can cost money, and of course, take up a lot of time. The cars must also have a longer range they can be driven. The Model S does a great job with this, with 300 miles of range, but most other electric cars are still not nearly as close to this and are completely out classed by gas powered cars. Last is to decrease the charging time. There are different studies being done on ways to make more efficient and faster charging, but it is likely that those wont come to the market for a few years. Overall, the concept of economically friendly, green cars is still a myth or is something that's not true yet, but will always be something we strive to create and