Essay Text Dump
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The “Why I’m interested in my topic” section of the project Google Doc
(see step 1 of the Week 2 assignment)
I’m very interested in the long-term viability of electric vehicles, which have been a major topic of conversation in recent years. Electric cars have become more common on our roads, but so have concerns about their manufacturing environmental impact. I want to understand the differences between the electric vehicle models that are currently on the market, and what environmental challenges they face in manufacturing. I want to research the technology behind making these cars and explore how quickly they could realistically replace gas powered vehicles, given an adequate electric grid and a manufacturing process that is not polluting into the environment.
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“Where’s my thinking” update on Writing Partners (Feb. 19)
In the article, “Are electric cars better for the environment than fuel-powered cars?,” the author argues that the environmental impact of cars is broken into four separate phases; manufacturing, production, lifetime, and disposal. These phases each produce different environmental impacts with lifetime taking the cake for the largest environmental impact. The article compares the lifetime emissions of an electric car to an electric car, and finds that electric vehicles produce fewer lifetime emissions than a gas-powered car, but that electric vehicles have higher emissions at manufacturing due to their batteries. Both cars produce emissions during disposal, but electric vehicle batteries can often be repurposed, thus lowering their footprint.
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They Say, I Say sentences
Copy of They Say, I Say 2024 - writing about your research - Google Slides
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Summaries of my sources from my project Google Doc or from Writing Partners
Source 1: In the article, “Are electric cars better for the environment than fuel-powered cars?,” the author argues that the environmental impact of cars is broken into four separate phases; manufacturing, production, lifetime, and disposal. These phases each produce different environmental impacts with lifetime taking the cake for the largest environmental impact. The article compares the lifetime emissions of an electric car to an electric car, and finds that electric vehicles produce fewer lifetime emissions than a gas-powered car, but that electric vehicles have higher emissions at manufacturing due to their batteries. Both cars produce emissions during disposal, but electric vehicle batteries can often be repurposed, thus lowering their footprint.
Source 2: In the article, “Are electric vehicles really sustainable for the environment,” the author discusses the sources of harm to the environment from electric vehicles. This primarily comes from the production of the vehicle, and specifically, their batteries. One ton of lithium mined produces 15 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. One ton of steel, which is needed for internal combustion engines, produces 1.9 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The article also discusses recycling concerns regarding the increased use of lithium in electric vehicles. This is a very surface-level article, and it discusses the initial carbon impacts of electric battery production.
Source 3: Tesla, one of the most popular electric vehicle manufactures, has an environmental impact that is much larger than previously reported. In previous reports, Tesla has neglected to include its supply chain pollution in its reports, arguably the most important emissions to record for an EV. In 2021, Tesla reported 2.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution. Including the supply chain emissions for 2022, the company reported 30.7 million tons of carbon dioxide, a significant increase from previous years. The carbon footprint of companies is often divided into three "scopes", and it is common practice to not include indirect emissions from supply chains and the lifecycle of the products in the reports. The SEC has proposed that large companies be required to share their indirect emissions in certain cases, hence the new numbers from Tesla. The company has lagged behind in sharing details about its greenhouse gas emissions, and has earned "F" grades from the CDP for failing to report. Essentially, just because Tesla sells electric vehicles, doesn't mean that they don't have their own environmental impact.
Source 4: Power for electric vehicles comes from a variety of places, and North American electricity is mostly generated through some kind of greenhouse emissions. Because of this, while an electric vehicle may run on electricity, that electricity may have been generated through some kind of emissions. Canada has pledged to eliminate coal-burning plants by 2030, but the US has made no such pledge. That being said, charging an electric vehicle still generally generates less than half the carbon emissions that a gas-powered vehicle does.
But before an electric vehicle is even sold, it has a carbon footprint. Mining any kind of materials for a vehicle produces carbon, but the battery manufacturing process has a massive carbon footprint. Battery mining for lithium has been connected to lots of environmental harm in recent years. Mining efforts often require lots of energy, sometimes from carbon-emitting machinery. Lithium demand is expected to triple by this year.
The batteries in electric vehicles don’t last forever, but they can have valuable resource reuse opportunities. If reuse is considered in the design of the batteries, they could be used in new applications including remanufacturing cells into batteries for new electric vehicles. They could also be used in the energy grid and mobile energy storage. It is crucial that investment is made into the right way to do electric vehicles
Source 5: Electric vehicle sales are climbing every year. In the past four years, the percentage has climbed from just 2.7% to 21.2%. More EVs are being released every year, and more are on the way. Evs are getting more affordable and more competitive. They are also becoming easier to live with with increased efficiency.
It’s not a surprise that the Tesla Model Y and the Tesla Model 3 have taken the top of the list. They are followed by the sleek Ford Mustang Mach-E, sharp Hyundai Ioniq 5, controversial Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, Honda Prologue, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Cadillac Lyriq, and the Rivian R1S.
Source 6: The term “zero emission” sounds nice, but emissions are still created for these “zero emissions” cars in the manufacturing and charging processes. However, over the course of the vehicles’ lifetime, EVs create fewer carbon emissions in almost every circumstance. “Zero emissions” is not real, but electric cars are much better for the environment. Manufacturing creates some of those emissions, but the charging process creates the most, although it varies from location. It is difficult to find a case where EVs are worse than internal combustion engines environmentally. As technology advances, the comparison will continue to improve in favor of EVs.
Source 7: It’s not surprising that the top five vehicles on the “Greenest List” for 2023 are fully electric. What is surprising is that the remaining models run on gasoline in a hybrid model. Some electric vehicles are simply not as good as hybrid alternatives. “Inefficient and heavy EVs have lower environmental impacts than similarly sized gasoline-fueled cars, but they underperform more efficient EVs,” said Peter Huether, who is a senior transportation research analyst with ACEEE. The ACEEE looked at over 1,200 models with varying power sources. Each model is given a Green Score on a 100 point scale with higher numbers being better. They are also given an Environmental Damage Index which shows monetary cost to human health with lower numbers being better. The ratings take into account lifetime emissions, including manufacturing and disposal. The “Greenest” car for the 2023 model year was the Mini Cooper SE with a Green Score of 67 and an EDX of $0.66 per mile.
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Text of all my annotations
Source 1: https://writingpartners.net/documents/5044/combined
Source 2: https://writingpartners.net/documents/5137/combined
Source 3: https://writingpartners.net/documents/5638/combined
Source 4: https://writingpartners.net/documents/5869/combined
Source 5: https://writingpartners.net/documents/5909/combined
Source 6: https://writingpartners.net/documents/6226/combined
Source 7: https://writingpartners.net/documents/6343/combined
on the uploaded document.
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It looks like you’re interested in exploring the topic of electric vehicles, specifically their long-term viability and environmental impact. Let’s dive into your questions and interests one step at a time.
Inquiry Questions:
1. What are the key environmental challenges in the manufacturing of electric vehicles?
– This is an interesting topic because it delves into the hidden costs of producing electric vehicles, which are often perceived as environmentally friendly. Understanding these challenges can help evaluate the true sustainability of electric vehicles.
– Quotes: “Electric cars have become more common… concerns about their manufacturing environmental impact.” “I want to understand… what environmental challenges they face in manufacturing.”
2. How do the current electric vehicle models differ in terms of technology and environmental impact?
– This question is important because it allows for a comparison of different models, shedding light on which ones might be more sustainable or efficient.
– Quotes: “I want to understand the differences between the electric vehicle models…” “I want to research the technology behind making these cars…”
3. What technological advancements are necessary for electric vehicles to replace gas-powered vehicles realistically?
– Exploring this question could reveal the gaps that need to be filled for electric vehicles to become a mainstream mode of transportation.
– Quotes: “…explore how quickly they could realistically replace gas-powered vehicles…” “given an adequate electric grid and a manufacturing process that is not polluting…”
4. How does the current electric grid support the adoption of electric vehicles, and what improvements are needed?
– This topic is crucial because the infrastructure required to support a large number of electric vehicles is a significant factor in their viability.
– Quotes: “replace gas-powered vehicles, given an adequate electric grid…” “explore how quickly they could realistically replace gas-powered vehicles…”
5. What role do electric vehicles play in reducing overall carbon emissions in comparison to gas-powered vehicles?
– Understanding the impact on carbon emissions is key to evaluating the overall benefit of switching to electric vehicles.
– Quotes: “long-term viability of electric vehicles…” “concerns about their manufacturing environmental impact.”
Let’s pretend to start writing about one of these topics, such as the environmental challenges in the manufacturing of electric vehicles.
As a writer, I’m asking myself: What specific environmental challenges are associated with the manufacturing of electric vehicles? I’m wondering about the materials used, such as lithium for batteries, and how their extraction and processing impact the environment. I also want to know how these challenges compare to those of traditional vehicle manufacturing.
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Let’s break this text down using a Think Aloud strategy to help us understand it better. First, we’ll look at the initial part: “In the article, ‘Are electric cars better for the environment than fuel-powered cars?,’ the author argues that the environmental impact of cars is broken into four separate phases; manufacturing, production, lifetime, and disposal.” Here, the author is introducing the main topic of the article, which is comparing the environmental impact of electric and fuel-powered cars. The text mentions four phases where cars impact the environment: manufacturing, production, lifetime, and disposal. This is important because it sets up how the article will analyze the differences between the two types of cars.
Now, let’s look at the next part: “These phases each produce different environmental impacts with lifetime taking the cake for the largest environmental impact.” In this sentence, it’s explained that each phase contributes differently to environmental harm, but the “lifetime” phase is the most significant. This suggests that how a car is used over its life has the most considerable effect on the environment compared to other phases. This understanding helps us see where the focus of the comparison might lie—on the emissions and impact during the car’s use. Would you like to see more?
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Let’s start by breaking down the first part of this text into smaller, more understandable chunks. The initial sentence introduces the article’s focus on electric vehicles and their environmental impact. It mentions that the harm primarily comes from production, especially the batteries. This is a key point, so let’s pause and think about it.
The phrase “sources of harm to the environment” suggests that the author is discussing various ways electric vehicles might negatively affect the environment. The specific mention of batteries indicates that this is a significant area of concern. As we move forward, we should pay attention to the details about how batteries contribute to environmental harm. Would you like to see more?
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Let’s break down the first part of this text to better understand it. We’ll use a Think Aloud strategy to chunk the text into smaller parts and explain each one.
First, we have: “Tesla, one of the most popular electric vehicle manufacturers, has an environmental impact that is much larger than previously reported.” Here, we see that Tesla, known for its electric vehicles, is being discussed in terms of its environmental impact. The phrase “much larger than previously reported” suggests that new information has come to light, showing that Tesla’s impact on the environment is greater than people thought before.
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It looks like we’re diving into the environmental impact of electric vehicles (EVs). Let’s break this down into smaller chunks to understand it better.
First, let’s focus on the sentence: “The term ‘zero emission’ sounds nice, but emissions are still created for these ‘zero emissions’ cars in the manufacturing and charging processes.” Here, the text suggests that while EVs are marketed as “zero emission,” this term might be a bit misleading because emissions are still produced during the making and charging of these vehicles. This chunk helps us grasp the beginning of an argument that challenges the notion of EVs being completely emission-free.
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