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Today you will learn from expert guest Genevieve Cullen about electric vehicles, why they may or may not help solve climate change, how they work and what needs to still be done for them to be an effective solution to climate change.
Genevieve Cullen has led the Electric Drive Transportation Association, the Washington, DC based cross-industry trade association promoting the electrification of transportation, as President since 2015. She previously served as Vice President, directing the organization’s policy and advocacy efforts. Prior to joining EDTA, Genevieve provided energy policy counsel in the Executive and Legislative Branches, including serving as Energy Counsel to Senator Evan Bayh (DIN). In these capacities, she developed and promoted policy solutions in diverse issue areas, including climate change and air quality, transportation emissions, energy efficiency and utility regulation. Genevieve Cullen has substantial experience as an advocate for private sector initiatives, with an emphasis on advanced technology solutions to energy and environmental challenges. A graduate of Washington College of Law and Bucknell University, Genevieve is a member of the District of Columbia bar.
Follow Genevieve Cullen:
Electric transportation is anything in which electricity moves the wheels provides propulsion including:
First, by definition, an electric vehicle starts at least 30 percent more efficient than an internal combustion engine. So it uses less energy to move about.
Second, it is capable of using cleaner electricity. So electricity can come from many sources, renewable, fossil, nuclear. In each of those instances, it's more efficient so as less emissions than an internal combustion engine, but the cleaner the energy source, the cleaner the vehicle is.
The only way electric transportation doesn't help to solve climate change is if we don't do it big enough, if we don't get to scale, because in every instance today, if you buy an electric car and you plugging it in, you are you are reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
If we do this on scale, we address the largest source of emissions in the United States and and in the world: transportation.
Who benefits the most is all air breathing organisms by:
Those in existing fossil fuel industries will experience economic dislocation as those jobs switch from the oil ecosystem to an electric transportation ecosystem.
When we talk about a traditional car, that's an internal combustion engine, and it is exactly what it sounds like. Gasoline is blown up inside this inside this this machine and the energy of that is what provides the propulsion.
In an electric vehicle, what you have is a battery and a motor. So the battery feeds the motor. So what you get is as opposed to gears and explosion when you put your foot on a gas pedal and you feel it move through the gears right as it rises, an electric vehicle is like a light switch because electricity is fully where it is. You flip the switch, it's 100 percent torque immediately, which is why you can get that next snap of a really fast electric car.
It's just operates cleaner, more efficiently and without. having a series of explosions under your hood.
Battery Technology: We have advances in battery technology over the last decade have been amazing. In 2010 the incremental cost of lithium ion battery was 1000 a kilowatt hour. Now that number is under 200, and soon to be 100. batteries are cheaper, performing better, getting more range out of them, getting more durability out of them and that, but that technology is continuing to evolve.
Charging infrastructure: That market needs to grow. We need to deploy that. It needs to be highly visible and equitable and ubiquitous. We probably need less infrastructure than people think we do. But at this beginning part folks need to be able to see it. They want the confidence that no matter what, I'm going to be able to charge my car. They probably won't need to. But they want to be able to they would so we really need to build out charging
R&D policies: to help us diverse our supply chains through all the components and materials.
Our guest recommends learning the following skills:
Activity: Electric Transportation Plan
Description: Plan a day's transportation using only electric options (EV, electric bike, public transit). Outline your route, charging needs, and any challenges encountered. Reflect on the feasibility of transitioning to electric transportation.
Demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills presented in this lesson by applying it to the above activity. If, and only if, you have a full understanding and have mastered the knowledge and skills presented in this lesson, select the next lesson in the navigation.
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