Climate change is real. Very real. Despite what any politician tells you. It is a global threat that impacts every single person on the planet. One person’s or company’s carelessness has the potential to harm everyone else.
It doesn’t have to be scary. There are easy measures we as consumers may take to make a difference and communicate our preferences. One of these differences is buying or even just expressing interest in vehicles which use alternative energy sources.
Did you know the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is the electricity sector, which contributes 31% of total emissions? This is closely followed by the transportation sector, which contributes 27% of all emissions [1]. While we can’t exactly control what energy companies use to power the grid, we certainly can control how we get places.
Here, we will discuss two alternative energy vehicles which seem to be taking the lead in this movement: battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles. Both have the potential to immensely reduce, or even one day eliminate, carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
The transition also doesn’t have to be painful. There is already diversity in the vehicles marketed, from the wallet friendly Nissan Leaf to the powerful and stunning Tesla Model S (and Model X) there is vehicle out there for everyone.
Sources used for this post:
[1] “Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” United States Environmental Protection Agency. [Online]. Available at: http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources/transportation.html. [Accessed: 28-Feb-2016].
Electric Versus Fuel Cell Vehicles 