2nd ICAI 2022

International Conference on Automotive Industry 2022

Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic

• The reduction in the final price of the gasoline vehicle (Ford T), from the development of the series production system, by Henry Ford • The invention of the electric starter in 1912, which eliminated the need for the crank to drive vehicles with ICE • The developed US highway network, which in the 1920s interconnected several cities, required vehicles capable of traveling long distances • The drop in the price of gasoline, made possible by the oil discoveries in Texas that reduced the price of gasoline, making it an attractive fuel for the transport sector. In recent years, EVs have been regaining space, being seen as a viable alternative to address the issues of local and global air pollution, and the use of non-renewable resources. The advantages of electrified vehicles over conventional vehicles include greater efficiency, lower pipe emissions, less noise, greater driving comfort, etc. (IEA, 2021). While there are only 17,000 EV in 2010, the number increased to 7.2 million EVs in 2019. Currently in more than 20 countries, the EVs share with more than 1% in their EV market. Figure 1 shows the exponential change of the EV market in the last decade indicating the fast growth of this market (IEA, 2021). 2. Electric Vehicles and the Environment. Research has shown that electric cars are better for the environment. They emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants than petrol or diesel cars. And this considers their production and electricity generation to keep them running. The major benefit of electric cars is the contribution that they can make towards improving air quality in towns and cities, making them a better place for pedestrians and cyclists. With no tailpipe, pure electric cars produce no carbon dioxide emissions when driving. Just one electric car on the roads can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2. This reduces air pollution considerably (ICCT, 2018). UK government has set a target that the sale of petrol and diesel cars will be banned by 2040. The government is also looking to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050, and electric cars will play a big role in that. EVs can also help with noise pollution, especially in cities where speeds are generally low. As electric cars are far quieter than conventional vehicles, driving electric creates a more peaceful environment for us all (Mayor of London, 2020). Making electric cars does use a lot of energy. Even after taking battery manufacture into account, electric cars are still a greener option. This is because of the reduction in emissions created over the car‘s lifetime. The emissions created during the production of an electric car tend to be higher than a conventional car. This is due to the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries which are an essential part of an electric car. More than a third of the lifetime CO2 emissions forma an electric car come from the energy used to make the car itself. As technology advances, this is changing for the better (ICCT, 2018). All this shows that electric vehicles have a big role to play in reducing transport emissions and being a major factor in cleaning up the air we breathe.

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