week9.html

<title> CS349 Spring 2019: Robert McInvale</title>
<h1 style = "font-size:300%;"><b> Robert McInvale CS 349 Blog</h1></b>
<h2 style = "font-size:200%;">Week 9 - Understanding our Impact</h1></b>

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One of the most celebrated US consumption trends in recent history is the beginning of the transition away from gas-powered cars and towards clean, efficient electric vehicles. The increasing damage done to the environment by our burning of hydrocarbons has long necessitated this transition, but it is only recently that consumers and producers of vehicles have begun to dedicate serious resources to making the transition. Companies such as Tesla, General Motors, Volkswagen, and Shell have all recently begun initiatives to facilitate the massive shift in the transportation industry from internal combustion engines to electric ones<sup>1</sup>.
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Today, the vast majority of vehicles in use (both in the US and in the rest of the world) are still gas-guzzlers. However, the switch to electric engines is inevitable and driven by several important factors that will not diminish with time, and will likely only continue to provide stronger and stronger reasons for the industry to switch. First, battery costs have dropped considerably in the past decade, and will continue to fall as manufacturing techniques improve for years to come, eventually driving the cost of electric cars down below combustion cars. Second, battery capacity has consistently been improving, providing electric cars with increased range on every iteration. Third, electric cars are both more reliable and more cheaply fueled than traditional cars. Lastly, once electric vehicles gain a significant enough share of the market, gas-based vehicles will no longer hold a resale value, as nobody will be willing to buy a vehicle type that will soon become obsolete<sup>2</sup>.
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These factors effectively guarantee the transition from gasoline engines to electric ones, and in a time closer to the present than we may think. In fact, the US may even be ahead of the curve versus the rest of the world, as many of the infrastructure changes necessary require a massive investment of capital, and most of the companies experimenting with electric cars (including the famous Tesla) are headquartered in the US. With this transition, we might, for once, serve as an example for the rest of the world to follow for a greener, more eco-friendly future. I can’t wait.
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<sup>1</sup><a href="https://delfastbikes.com/blog/new-trend-on-the-road-are-electric-vehicles-going-to-change-the-world/">https://delfastbikes.com/blog/new-trend-on-the-road-are-electric-vehicles-going-to-change-the-world/</a></br>
<sup>2</sup><a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2018/09/28/forbes-electric-cars-the-future-gasmobile-killers/">https://cleantechnica.com/2018/09/28/forbes-electric-cars-the-future-gasmobile-killers/</a></br>