In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we may be drastically increasing it. Automotive manufacturers are focusing their EV efforts on the completely wrong type of vehicle – this depletes resources, creates inconveniences, and is costing millions of dollars. We believe that there is a better approach to the whole problem, one that is far easier to achieve, is better not just for the health of our planet but also our own, and is something that can be implemented in a relatively short period of time. Here's how this can be done.

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Start Off By Making Urban EV Commuters

Fiat 500 EV front three-quarter shot
Fiat

If you were selected to choose which areas of the world needed to become as emission-free as possible as soon as possible, you would probably go for the cities, right? Cities are areas with dense populations. We have huge traffic jams filled with emission-emitting vehicles and thousands of people walking right next to them breathing in the fumes and getting sick years later. Emission-less cities would lead to improved global health and great good for mother nature. Now take the motorways and countryside areas, what would be the impact of building EV infrastructure there? Sure, we once again get the benefit of being kinder to the environment; however, the health benefit to humans is nowhere near as prevalent. This is because rural areas and areas with motorways nearby are less densely populated and harmful gasses do not reach humans as easily. Furthermore, people who are commuting are in most cases driving with the windows rolled up and are breathing in the air inside the cab of their vehicle. This makes the human health problem less urgent when compared to large densely populated cities.

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Electrifying Just Our Cities is Easier

Honda e front three-quarter shot
Honda

Electrifying a city means producing small vehicles that run on electricity and produce zero emissions while running. Such vehicles are easy to electrify as they only need a small battery pack to move their low mass and small tires efficiently around the shorter distances of a city. Furthermore, the low wind drag of city speeds makes achieving a high useable range even easier. Installing charging stations is also a breeze as we only need to tap into the city’s existing electrical Infrastructure. Also, since the batteries will be smaller charging up quickly will require less powerful chargers which are cheaper, kinder towards the environment, and put less strain on electrical infrastructure. In fact, the whole production process of such a vehicle will be far less environmentally taxing than producing an electric sedan, or SUV. Think about it, you can build two- or three city cars with the material needed to build just one huge and arguably useless electric pickup truck like the Hummer EV or Ford F-150 lightning.

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Current EV Efforts Have Led To Ineffective And Environmentally Damaging Vehicles

Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford

The Hummer EV and Ford F-150 Lightning bring us to the main issue in the EV industry. Because many countries have stated that all vehicles should be electric by roughly 2035, automotive manufacturers are trying to find a way to electrify every single type of vehicle. This is a task that is currently impossible as the technology to power larger vehicles isn’t here yet. This has led to cars that are mostly useless, excessive, and will arguably do more harm than good to the environment. An EV Hummer weighs an insane 9,063 pounds and its battery pack alone is heavier than a small city car like a Fiat 500. Just imagine the rate at which an EV hummer will chew through tires, brakes, and consumable components in general. The worst part is that it doesn't serve a particular purpose. It can’t tow for much more than 150 miles and there is no way you would use it for off-roading due its size and once again poor range management under demanding conditions.

So, what is the point we are trying to make here? The point is that we haven’t developed the technology that will allow vehicles that need to do heavy-duty work to function as we need them. Because of this, these vehicles are currently doing more harm than good as they are using an insane amount of material to be produced. For such a vehicle to be effective batteries must be far smaller, lighter, and need to be able to charge quickly from any normal power source. A feat that is still many years away. All the time, resources, and effort needed to build a truck of this size can go into producing more city cars that will clean up the air we breathe while also reducing our carbon footprint. Currently, there is no need to electrify the motorways and work industry as it isn’t the main priority. Manufacturers can work on such projects behind the scenes with thorough testing and research but producing and selling electric work vehicles makes more harm than good right now.

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Final Thoughts

Front shot of the 2022 Hummer EV Pickup Truck on the road
GMC

I hope that what we are trying to say is clear. We are by no means against the production of a truck like the F-150 Lightning and the Hummer EV. It's just that they aren't a viable and effective option right now since other types of vehicles can work far more efficiently and effectively. What are your thoughts on this?