Realistically, electric cars are the future whether we like it or not. Some people do believe that there’s a case for them to be banned though. Do you agree? Let’s look at some of the reasons people want a potential ban.
Economic Impact on Infrastructure
Taxes from petrol sales are a massive part of the funding towards road infrastructure, as detailed by Investopedia. When electric cars inevitably take over, the highways may not be funded correctly and this could cause them to become neglected. That, in turn, could be a safety issue.
Safety and Emergency Response Challenges
Despite serious testing, there’s still a lot of uncertainty amongst the general public regarding the safety of electric cars. For example, people are well aware of the fact that lithium batteries can pose fire risks, which is naturally going to be disconcerting to them, especially in the early days of the new tech.
Challenges with Charging Infrastructure
The U.S. Department of Transportation explains that charging infrastructure is pricey and difficult to implement, especially in rural areas. It’s something that they have plans in place to overcome, but it’s going to take a lot of work and at a high cost to the taxpayer.
Disruption to the Automotive Service Industry
There’s a good chance that the transition from ICE to electric cars will threaten people’s jobs in the auto maintenance trade. Technology is going to completely change, which means mechanics will either have to heavily retrain or move into a new career altogether.
Impact on Public Transit Systems
It’s still unclear what’s going to happen to the public transport system in the U.S. when the country adopts new electric cars. Will it decrease reliance on buses or trains, and how much of an effect will that have on the economy? It remains to be seen!
Environmental Impact of Mining for EV Materials
The Guardian reported that the U.S. could find itself in an environmental crisis if everybody makes the switch to electric cars at the same time. This is because of the new demand for lithium, which doesn’t exactly have the lightest impact on the environment.
Public Health Concerns from Indirect Emissions
Electric cars may lower emissions on the roads but there’s certainly something to be said for the emissions out of the factories producing the batteries etc. If you live in an area where they’re being produced, it’s reasonable to be concerned about your health from any indirect emissions.
Grid Decarbonization Challenges
There are further challenges surrounding the amount of extra demand for the electricity grid if everybody were to start charging their new electric cars at the same time. It will be difficult to cope with the massive bump in new power demand across the country.
Increased Total Carbon Footprint
Not only will the environment be impacted in a different way with regard to lithium sourcing, but the energy intensiveness of charging EVs will have an effect that’s hard to predict as well. Hopefully, we’ll be able to produce enough renewable energy to keep up with this.
Economic Burden of High Initial Costs
Electric cars are not cheap. We know this! And without any support from the government, it’s unlikely that many Americans will be able to afford one, alongside a home charging setup, right off the bat. It’s going to be a long time until EV costs level out with ICE cars.
Range Anxiety
Bloomberg tells us that the average range of electric cars has recently gotten very close to the 300 mile mark, which is pretty impressive. But that’s still not going to be enough for many Americans who have to travel a whole lot further than that in one go sometimes.
Dependence on Fossil Fuels for Electricity
Burning less petrol and diesel is going to be a good thing, of course. But the extra demand for fossil fuels to charge all the new electric cars might be a cause for concern. It’s understandable why someone might want to see the cars banned altogether for this reason.
Impact on Auto Insurance and Liability
The expensive technology in a lot of electric cars is likely to have an impact on the cost of car insurance. Repair costs are likely to be higher too, and the insurers will know this when they draw up quotes for people’s auto insurance plans.
Resistance from Oil and Gas Industries
Electric cars are going to pose a threat to the jobs of those in the oil, gas, and diesel industries. Suddenly, taking away the demand for all of these materials will mean that fewer people will be required in the field, which is not good news for some.
Impact on Consumer Choice and Market Diversity
Many manufacturers are building electric cars as we speak, but the diversity of the market has a long way to come before it’s really fair for consumers in the way that traditional cars are. Only brands like Tesla and Volkswagen are building somewhat affordable EVs at this point in time.
High Maintenance Costs for Battery Systems
Many people are worried about potentially high costs for battery maintenance in electric cars, despite the Department of Energy telling us that on average, electric cars are actually going to work out 4 cents per mile cheaper than cars with internal combustion engines. Still, batteries can be volatile…
Inequitable Access and Environmental Justice
Adopting electric cars may actually exacerbate social inequities. Lower-income communities are unlikely to be able to afford the initial costs of these electric cars and this will lead to disparities in access to charging infrastructure as well as a general growth in class divide.
Potential Over-Reliance on Foreign Battery Materials
The international tradeoff with electric cars might have a negative impact on the economy in the U.S. If we’re relying too much on purchasing cheap battery
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