Are Electric Vehicles Really As Clean As We Think?
Electric vehicles have become the buzzword in the automotive world these days. I was amazed to see the huge crowds around two of the newest "environment-friendly" cars, the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model 3, which were on display at the Canadian International Auto Show that I attended in February 2018. However, one question that I have always pondered over is "Are Electric Vehicles really as clean as they are portrayed to be?" Img. 1: The 2018 Nissan Leaf Img. 2: The Tesla Model 3 An electric vehicle (or EV) is a vehicle that does not have a conventional internal combustion engine but is instead driven by one or more electric motors. The motors are typically powered by lithium-ion batteries that are similar to the ones found in our smartphones and laptops. These batteries can also be recharged by plugging the vehicle into a conventional wall charger or through the use of specially designed fast charging outlets. This is the premise that automobile manufa...