Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, May 7 (Xinhua)-- the promotion of electric vehicles is one of the important measures to deal with the climate crisis, but more and more electric vehicles in the US car market are becoming large and expensive, which not only deters ordinary consumers, but also puts an additional burden on the environment.

A key goal in President Joe Biden's climate plan is to electrify American cars. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and electric vehicles can significantly reduce emissions compared to traditional gasoline or diesel vehicles. Biden hopes that by 2030, more than half of all new car sales in the United States will be electric cars, up from less than 5% today.

However, many obstacles need to be overcome to achieve this goal. First, the average price of an electric car is still $15000 higher than the average non-luxury gasoline car (CTOnews.com Note: currently about 104000 yuan). Second, the enthusiasm of Americans for large SUV and pickup trucks has also affected the development of the electric vehicle market. It is estimated that by 2025, 78 per cent of new car sales in the US will be SUV, pick-up trucks or vans.

This preference has led automakers to launch large electric SUV and pick-up trucks in order to achieve higher profit returns. GM, for example, announced that it would stop production of Chevrolet Bolt electric cars by the end of the year and shift its production line to larger and more expensive electric pickups such as the Chevrolet SILVERADO and GMC Sierra. The Chevrolet Bolt is one of the cheapest electric cars on the market, selling for less than $30,000 and in line with the $7500 tax credit for electric vehicles in the inflation reduction Act passed last year.

In addition to General Motors, other automakers have also joined the competition for large electric vehicles. Ford launched an electric version of its best-selling Fmur150 pickup truck, Tesla launched the Cybertruck concept pickup, and even Hummer, once regarded as a gas guzzler, was revived and launched a new electric version at a high price of $110000.

Although these large electric vehicles are more environmentally friendly than gasoline or diesel vehicles of the same class, they have a greater impact on the environment than small electric vehicles. First, they need more rare minerals, such as lithium and cobalt, to make giant batteries. The exploitation of these minerals will lead to soil and water pollution, ecological destruction and other problems. Second, they need more energy to drive their huge bodies.

According to the US Council on Energy efficiency and Renewable Energy (ACEEE), the Chevrolet Bolt is one of the most environmentally friendly electric vehicles in terms of pollution from manufacturing and use, while the new electric Hummer has the battery weight of a small car and contains half the lithium needed for a bus. ACEEE gave the Chevrolet Bolt a "green score" of 57, while the electric Hummer scored 47, even worse than some small gasoline cars.

Environmental engineering expert Alisha Kendall (Alissa Kendall) said she "really wanted" to buy a cheap electric car to replace the Ford C-Max she bought in 2012, but she couldn't find the right choice. " The electric car market is almost entirely dominated by large, luxury and expensive models, "she said." it doesn't help low-income people and those living on the front lines of polluting facilities and climate change. "

Kendall said it is a positive sign to see extremely polluting large SUV and pickup trucks replaced by electric versions, but policies and incentives are needed to help the United States shake off the trend of producing only bigger and bigger vehicles. " In the long run, the challenge we face is how to provide electric travel for more people, instead of letting everyone drive giant vehicles that are harmful to the planet, rare minerals and many other ways, "she said." We need to consider social policies that support smaller and more efficient vehicles. "

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