Johnson 1
Breyhauna JohnsonProfessor Debra DagherUWRT 11026 April 2015The
Mass Adoption of Electric VehiclesThe future could be right in
front of us, but blinding eyes are blocking our views and scaring
us into believing its so far away. New ideas and even older,
transformed ideas are right in front of us, waiting to be
recognized. Electric vehicles arent a new concept, but they could
be the next big thing, if we let them. They could have many
upsides, but the downsides are keeping people from realizing their
full potential. I first learned about EVs as a sophomore in high
school. My teacher showed a documentary about them being introduced
and then banned right after in the 1970s. I became interested then,
wondering why the government would try to take away a brilliant
idea. I started doing research about this and learned some motives
behind the governments decision. I then applied to the Young
Scholars program at NC State to do research over the summer and got
accepted. That summer I worked with NC States Future of Renewable
and Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center
to learn more about different types of renewable energy, EVs being
one of them. I got to experience how they work and how the charging
stations operated in Raleigh. From that moment on, I decided to
focus my career path in the direction of renewable energy. I wanted
to do more research this time on the impact that EVs would have in
our world.Most people today would be affected by the integration of
EVs into our society. This would be a significant change to most
peoples daily lives if they chose to own one themselves. The
integration would impact our homes, cities and our personal lives.
People would be saving more money, as well as learning to adapt to
new technologies. They would also experience more convenience, as
they could charge their batteries in their EVs overnight as they
slept, not having to worry about stopping for gas in the morning
before work.The impact that the integration of electric vehicles
into society will have depends on whos asked. Many people are
either for electric vehicles or completely against them, while some
are still unsure about them. There are many questions raised on the
efficiency of electric vehicles involving the battery life and time
it takes to charge the battery back to full life. There are also
other concerns such as how much change will have to occur in order
for electric vehicles to effectively exist. One of these concerns
include having to install charging stations in order for people to
have a place to recharge their batteries other than their homes.
Even with charging stations being installed, the factor of time is
still an issue to some people. Stopping at a gas station to refuel
only takes a couple of minutes, while charging your electric
vehicle can take anywhere from six to eight hours when it is
completely dead
(http://content.sierraclub.org/EVGuide/myths-vs-reality). While all
of these are valid concerns, on the contrary there are a numerous
amount of benefits. Some of these benefits include less carbon
monoxide emissions into our environment, tax benefits from the
purchase of an electric vehicle, and saving lots of money from
gasoline expenses. Exploring these concerns and benefits is a great
way to do some research on something that may be effecting the near
future.My interest in electric vehicles started when I was a junior
in high school. I heard about them in my AP Environmental Science
class, where my teacher was showing a documentary on why the
electric vehicle was practically banished from the United States in
the 1970s. This rose a lot of suspicion and I started to do my own
research. I explored many aspects of renewable energy as a whole
and really liked the whole concept of electric vehicles. Its
another way to use what we already have and incorporate into
something else to make it a more safe and efficient way to
live.
Works CitedMichael K. Lim, Ho-Yin Mak, Ying Rong (2015) Toward
Mass Adoption of Electric Vehicles: Impact of the Range and Resale
Anxieties. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
17(1):101-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/msom.2014.0504
