Intro
Pollution is a big issue in NYC and it’s known that transportation makes up approximately onethird of New York’s overall emissions. Although we have an efficient public transportation system
which consequently leads to a low car ownership rate our traffic pattern proves that car culture is
still alive. Every year motor vehicles contribute approximately 11% of the local fine particulate
matter and 28% of the nitrogen oxide emissions. The city has been actively finding ways to reduce
emissions, but it has not been enough to reduce the rate to a drastic change. The use of electric cars
and solar cars though could lead to a much more pronounced change in the pollution rates. Now if
the state in agreement with electric automobile companies were to ensure a smooth cheap
transition from fueled based cars to a combination of solar and electrical based ones in the near
future, we could manage to improve the health of the city.
Body
“An electric car, also known as battery electric vehicles, have an electric motor instead of an
internal combustion engine.” It uses a large traction battery to create energy for the motor and has
to be plugged in to a charging equipment or a wall outlet to. It is not equipped with the typical
liquid fuel components, such as a fuel line, fuel pump, or fuel tank thanks to it running on
electricity and therefore emitting no exhaust from a tailpipe.

The key components of an
electric are the following: Transmission which transfers mechanical power to drive the wheels;
Traction battery pack which stores electricity; the charge port that allows the vehicle to connect to
external source to supply energy to the traction battery pack; the battery which is fundamental
because it is the heart of the car; the electric traction motor which uses the power generated by the
traction battery pack to drive the car’s wheels; the onboard charger instead converts AC electricity
into DC power for charging the traction battery.
All these components are what allow these vehicles to be so environmentally friendly and quieter
than gas vehicles. There are several notable advantages of owning an electric car including:
1) They are better for the environment: They don’t use exhaust systems so therefore there is no
emissions of fumes being pumped out into the air like conventional vehicles do.
2) Electricity can be a renewable resource: These cars can be powered by renewables resources
like wind, waterpower, and solar. On the other hand, gasoline, also a natural resource, is not
renewable essentially meaning it has an endless supply.
3) They require less expensive and frequent maintenance: there would be no need for oil changes
in such cars because of the use of electricity. Electric cars are also easier on brakes leading to fewer

brake replacements. Another cost benefit is that electricity is also cheaper than gas which is known
to cost one-third the cost of gas vehicles.
These are just some of the advantages of these cars but there are many more to keep note of. An
issue with these vehicles is that the are usually more expensive than gas-powered cars. For
example, basic electric will come to cost you around $30,000 and could reach highs of $80,000 if
not more. A person interested in these cars should keep in mind that they will pay at least $10,000
more for an electric car than they would for conventional cars. These costs gaps will definitely
close as technology continues to evolve but also the state as I said earlier could stipulate an
agreement with electric car companies and offer them incentives to reduce the cost of these cars
and make them more affordable for the average consumer.
From this graph we can see the
massive difference between gasoline and electric cars. The difference is drastic and could really
help with the pollution crisis that NYC is facing. We start acting now to get a positive reaction not
just for us but also for future generations. Over a year, just one electric car on the roads can save an
average 1.5 million grams of CO2 which is the equivalent of four return flights from Barcelona to
London.
Conclusion
It may seem like an unreasonable change but if the state were to complete an agreement with
electric car companies this could very much be a reality. It would benefit the health of our
environment in ways we have never imagined and consequently we would also be healthier. The
future will be forged by what we do in the present, so it’s important to take the necessary steps to
initiate a plan that could change lives forever.