Dear next president,

Harmful emissions produced by conventional vehicles are a leading health problem to many people around the world, and is also harshly damaging the environment. “U.S. daily travel averages 11 billion miles per day-almost 40 miles per person per day.”(www.rita.dot.gov) This amount of driving per day can cause smog pollution caused by nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and sulphur dioxide. Smog pollution can increase cardiovascular and respiratory symptoms. These emissions can also affect the reproductive, immune, respiratory, and neurological systems of animals.(homeguides.sfgate.com) Potentially, if we can cut down this amount of driving, we can easily reduce these symptoms.

Alternative fuels are a major relief on the environment and our health. They produce no to minimal emissions, and run just as smoothly as fuels such as gasoline.(cleantechnica.com) Battery electric cars are very efficient, they can be recharged overnight and will be ready in the morning to drive 80-100 miles.(plugincars.com) Battery electric vehicles also run very quietly as to not disturb animals, while providing very high torque. Finally, the cost per mile to fuel a battery electric vehicle is a third to a quarter of the price to fuel a conventional vehicle, and because electric vehicles don’t require exhaust systems or oil changes, maintenance costs are reduced.(plugincars.com) Clearly, battery electric vehicles are a very easy solution to reduce the amount of emissions produced by vehicles driven daily.

Despite these pros of electric vehicles, there are some drawbacks. “Electricity production in much of the country uses coal-not a clean burning source.” (consumerreports.org) However, electric vehicles, even when using a fossil fuel to produce electricity, is more efficient than conventional vehicles. Some may argue that electric vehicles have a very limited range. However, electric car batteries are getting more economical every year with cheaper prices and longer ranges.(plugincars.com) Another problem with electric powered cars is higher costs. Some battery powered cars are priced between $30,000-$40,000, which makes electric cars considerably more expensive than conventional vehicles. However, some cost comparisons fail to mention incentives valued at $10,000, competitive lease rates as low as $199 a month, and lower maintenance costs.(plugincars.com) Undoubtedly, even with all these cons, electric vehicles are a superior choice to reduce the amount of harmful emissions damaging our environment.

It is clear that emissions that are produced by conventional vehicles are very harmful to our environment. However it is up to us to take action on the dilemma. Although motorized vehicles are crucial to our lives, they produce an abundance of emissions that not only are bad for our environment, but our health, too. I propose we need to focus on making battery electric vehicles more accessible to everyone and more efficient than ever before.

Sincerely,

Aidan U.