Blog Log 2: Should you give Electric Vehicles the Green Light?

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The article I’m discussing, Tesla’s Electric Cars Aren’t as Green as You Might Think, describes all the parts of an electric vehicle’s life that might in fact produce the emissions that the vehicles try to avoid. I was interested in this article as I usually read tech-related news, and though this article would provide some insight on electric vehicles, which I’ve always wanted to be my first vehicle purchase. The style of the writer, Lizzie Wade, writes informally, making the article feel like a person, instead of a paper, as it is very easy to follow, and uses literary devices such as alliteration (as they call gas vehicles “gas-guzzlers”). The article is divided into 3 issues, collection of fuel, production, and recycling of the vehicle. One thing I thought was interesting is how the article mentioned that old batteries may be used in energy storage systems, which seemed like a great way to reduce waste, as I find myself reusing ‘dead’ rechargeable batteries in other things. I assumed reuse would be the solution, but the article goes on to mention that due to Teslas having larger batteries, no company has the means to recycle them, or deems it uneconomic. Overall, although the article seemed to specifically target Tesla, it provided insight on the entire life of an electric vehicle, while maintaining my interest.