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Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Electric Car Battery Timeline 4 Historical Timeline and Predecessor Assessment 5 Analysis of Impact 7 Social Impact 7 Cultural Influences 8 Political Considerations 8 Economic Effects 8 Conclusion 9 References……………………………………………………………………………...10

Introduction

Electric batteries have been around since cars were invented. This technology had been left for dead until it was revived about forty plus years ago. It has been revived in an attempt to replace the gas powered cars or at least offer an alternative. This technology is being developed to be a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation. It’s development was sparked by the 70’s gas shortage a time where Americans could only get gas on certain days of the week and had to wait in long lines. As gas is a resource that is still in abundance it will eventually run out. The moving away from gas cars to electric also relieves the people from the ever fluctuating prices of gas, the politics behind gas production, and the failed foreign policies that influence gas prices.

Electric Car Battery Timeline

Electric Car Batteries

In 1834 Thomas Davenport invents electric car. He may have been out done by Robert Anderson between the years 1832-1839.

In 1859 Gaston Plante invented a rechargeable lead-acid battery.

In 1889 Thomas Edison developed an electric car that used nickel-alkaline batteries.

In 1895 the first auto race was won by an electric car (“EV history - electric auto association”).

During the 1890’s the electric car outsold the gas car ten to one. Car manufacturers Oldsmobile and Studebaker started out as manufacturers of electric cars. Most cars during this time were made by hand. When the assembly line was developed by Henry Ford it drove the cost down significantly those who made cars by hand could not compete with the fords low cost which made the electric car less desirable. Another blow to the electric car was that there was little to no electricity available outside the city limits.

As a result of the gas shortage issues of the 70’s the interest in electric cars was renewed. Congress passed regulation between 1968-1978 as a result from growing concern with the adverse health effect from dirty air, that forced car makers to develop cars that omitted less emissions. In 1976 Congress created the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act. In 1990 California mandated a Zero Emission Vehicle for 2% of the vehicles on the road by 1998. They added the number to be 10% by the year 2003. By the year 1994 twelve additional states had adopted the same laws. General Motors answered the call with the development of an electric car called the EV-1 (“EV history - electric auto association”).

There have been electric cars made and being made today by all the major car companies, but only one exclusively makes electric cars Tesla. They have created electric cars that are fast and I would not be embarrassed to own or be seen in. Their cars run on lithium-ion battery which they have improved to be sixty percent more efficient then when they began in 2003.

Analysis of Social Impact

In the early 20th century about a quarter of the cars on the road were electric (West, 2015). Within twenty years they had disappeared from the scene. The consumer preferred the gasoline engines compared to the electric car, because of the lack of range one had with the electric car. Electric cars cost also played a role they could be more expensive to purchase than the gasoline car. Many of the same issues plague the electric car today even with the improvements in technology the batteries for electric cars have gained. People are looking for an alternative to the gasoline engine, and the electric car seems to be the answer. There is a lot of research and development being done to make this viable solution, a reality. The research has been fueled by the economy, technology, politics, and culture.

The technology of electric cars have been perceived for decades as you’re the future of personal transportation and you always will be. Society appreciates all that you’re doing and all that you stand for which is why it’s such a shame that you’ll never live up to your full potential. For the most part electric cars seemed to be marketed only on the bases that you cared for the environment, you had no concern for the outward styling only its environmentally friendly function. Our culture is taking notice of electric cars now more than just on the basis of environmentally friendly. Tesla in early April of this year announced that it will have an electric car the Model 3 with a cost of $42,000 and people can reserve one for a $1,000 dollar deposit. This is significant news on several levels one that the cost of production has fallen enough to offer a car at this price, and secondly the response to this car shows how culture is embracing electric cars. There were 325,000 one thousand dollar deposits made for this car in one week. This is considered to be the single biggest one week launch of a product ever. It’s appropriate for Tesla to be the company that has hundreds of thousands of consumers demonstrably excited about it’s EVs. Until now, Tesla’s electric cars prices have been expensive for most; the Model 3 is the first of several EVs scheduled for production in the next few years others including cars from Chevy and Nissan with the promise of affordability, style, and extended battery life. Tesla is in the process of building new plants to meet the anticipation of increased demand, currently they produce 50,000 cars a year by the year 2020 they will be capable of 500,000 cars a year.

Society is right on the edge technology, design, and demand have fully merging into a verifiable phenomenon, auguring a cultural shift. The effect of this change in regards to oil consumption and carbon emissions can’t be overstated. The future is no longer the future, in other words. For electric cars, the future has arrived. And from the climate’s perspective, not a moment too soon.

One of the most prominent electric car makers is Tesla. Their cars use a lithium ion battery; they have refined and advanced their vehicles to be about sixty percent more efficient, but they are still a little bit shy of the range many gas powered cars can be driven. Tesla being the most notable electric car company had a study done to see how green the electric car is. An economist stated the electric car is green or not so green depending on where in the country the car is being charged. The electric grid could be generating electricity by coal-fired power plants, which is not very green or the power could be generated by renewable wind and solar energy production. The manufacturing of the electric car actually places more carbon emissions into the environment than the manufacturing of the common gas powered car. Largely due to the battery which has many precious metals in it, which through the mining process places carbons into the environment. The refining also places additional carbons into the atmosphere during the manufacturing of the electric car. Even with the large amounts of carbons placed into the environment with the manufacturing of the electric car they are still only generating about half the emissions of a gas car over the average lifetime of the car. ("Tesla’s Electric Cars Aren’t as Green as You Might Think | WIRED," n.d.)

Culturally cars have made a significant impression. There are those that only like muscle cars, hot rods, low riders, and the list goes on and on. I think electric and hybrid cars exterior designs have been ugly; thankfully Tesla has come along with designs that are far more appealing to the masses. These new designs give hope that having an electric car while being friendly to the environment can also be cool looking. I am looking forward to seeing how they will impact other aspects of the culture. I think electric cars could be revolutionary to drag racing in the future with all the power available at once the car does not have to build up revs. There are already videos on YouTube showing Tecla’s Model S P85D beating A Dodge Hellcat in a drag race.

Politically the government provides a $7500 tax credit to the consumer that purchases an electric or hybrid car. The government has given an estimated $7.5 billion according to the Congressional Budget Office to subsidize electric vehicle production from September 2012 to 2019. There are state and government grant programs that are in place for the research and development of batteries at the college level. The support has been given to companies as well.  ("CBO: Government will spend $7.5 billion on electric vehicles. What are we getting back? - The Washington Post," n.d.)

Economically the impact of the electric car is still being written. There are only a few companies currently that recycle the batteries from the electric car this has the potential to become a much larger industry as the electric car develops and evolves. There is the production of the electric batteries for the electric car which is helping that nitch of the market. The mining of the materials for the lithium ion batteries which helps the global economy because it comes from mines mainly in China. ("Tesla’s Electric Cars Aren’t as Green as You Might Think | WIRED," n.d.) Funding from the government is helping with the research and development of better battery technology.

References EV history - electric auto association. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://www.electricauto.org/?page=evhistory Tesla’s Electric Cars Aren’t as Green as You Might Think. (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2016, from http://www.wired.com/2016/03/teslas-electric-cars-might-not-green-think CBO: Government will spend $7.5 billion on electric vehicles. What are we getting back? (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2012/09/21/cbo-government-will-spend-7-5-billion-on-electric-vehicles-what-are-we-getting-back/

Bibliography: West, D. M. (2015, September 15). Five emerging battery technologies for electric vehicles. Retrieved June 12, 2016, from http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/techtank/posts/2015/09/15-five-emerging-battery-technologies In-line Citation: