ELECTRIC VEHICLES

A thought-provoking comparison of the costs and benefits of electric vehicles.

Against the obvious advantages of vehicles that don’t create toxic emissions and use little to no fossil fuels, Mooney weighs many of the hidden costs. Such costs range from serious human rights violations related to where cobalt and other essential materials used in batteries are mined to the fact that most of the ever-increasing amount of electricity used in manufacturing and recharging EVs is currently generated by power plants that use coal or natural gas. Still, along with citing a recent study estimating that EVs make up for the carbon footprint of their manufacturing process in about two years of use, the author paints an optimistic picture of ongoing efforts to reduce EVs’ drawbacks even further. As examples, she points to Norway, where 96% of all electric power is already generated by hydropower, an MIT research project on making batteries entirely from organic materials, a pilot project in Detroit where a roadway wirelessly recharges EVs, and more. Readers who think that the case for switching to EVs is obvious will appreciate the author’s judicious and nuanced observations, all based on official reports and other authoritative publications. Sparse stock photos break up the text, showing some of the technology under development and other relevant scenes.

Topical and judicious.