What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about cars? It may be the average day sedan you see on the roads on your commute to school or work, or you may think of the insane gas prices that stand at $4 a gallon.  No matter where your head is on cars, where it should be focused is on electric-powered cars.

Over the past ten years, electric cars have become the primary focus for automakers and car manufacturers. In fact, in 2022, gas/hybrid production cars are the most common vehicle on the roads in the United States. Still, with increasing concerns over climate change causing dramatic changes to people’s thinking, governments worldwide are making decisions as to what vehicles will be allowed in their markets in the near future.

 For example, by 2030 England will have passed a law banning all gas-powered cars on roads as they become a more environmentally-friendly nation with a full switch to electric-powered vehicles. Still, to many car lovers worldwide, this news is heartbreaking. EVs would replace the enjoyment of working on gas cars with seemingly endless software updates replacing some of the more traditional aspects of auto maintenance. It was quite unfortunate news for me to learn about the soon-to-be world of electric cars, the enjoyment of working on your car would be stripped away but it’s for the best. 

For a better world and environment, Veronica Penney, the writer of “Electric Cars Are Better for the Planet – and Often Your Budget, Too” of The New York Times found a graph that indicates vehicle electrification is one of the best ways to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The data brought up in Penney’s article provides a more detailed image of the benefits of the “electrification of vehicles.” But there is more. People save more money driving an EV vehicle than driving a gas vehicle. 

In the United States, driving the average EV results in the same amount of global warming pollutants as driving an 88 miles per gallon (mpg) gasoline car.  Taking into account that your average gasoline car gets about 24.4 mpg, one can see why people are excited about EVs and the almost quadrupled efficiency they will get compared to a gasoline car. 

David Reichmuth of The Union Of Concerned Scientists examined all the emissions from filling and operating EVs and gasoline vehicles to compare the climate-changing emissions from electric vehicles to gasoline-powered cars. Reichmuth claimed, “For a gasoline car, that means looking at emissions from extracting crude oil from the ground, moving the oil to a refinery, making gasoline and transporting gasoline to filling stations, in addition to combustion emissions from the tailpipe.” Reichuth continued, “When looking at all these factors, driving the average EV is responsible for fewer global warming emissions than the average new gasoline car everywhere in the US.”

If you believe earth is a great place to live, you should invest in an electric vehicle. Even if you love gasoline vehicles, EVs are the best bet for your wallet – after the initial vehicle price tag, that is – and the environment. Plus, you can still fulfill that entertainment need that you have by taking your old, gas-powered car – say a 69’ Mustang or Mazda Rx-7 – on the track for a much-needed blast of noise and that distinct burning gasoline smell.