An electric vehicle (EV) is a motorized car or truck that uses an electric motor to drive. EVs are powered by rechargeable batteries that store energy for later use. They are generally quieter than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles and require far less maintenance. EVs also have zero tailpipe emissions, which contribute to climate change and poor air quality in our cities.
EVs require little to no oil, and they don’t need spark plugs or transmission fluid. This means fewer routine maintenance costs, and savings of about 40 percent compared to gas cars per mile driven.
The price of EVs continues to fall and may soon be as affordable as a new gas-powered car. Battery technology remains the most expensive part of an EV, but researchers expect it to last longer than previously thought. Real-world driving with hard acceleration, braking that charges the batteries, and frequent stops to pop into stores will wear down the batteries, but they don’t degrade as quickly as originally predicted.
EVs have lower life cycle emissions than fossil fuel vehicles because they don’t burn diesel or petroleum, and they rely on electrical power to operate rather than petroleum-derived fuel. However, a comprehensive assessment of EVs must consider upstream energy consumption for drilling oil or building power plants as well as the transport and transmission of petroleum or electricity.