THE GREAT AND GOOD OF BANNING NEW ICE CARS IN 2035

Written By Suzanne Stougie
Internal combustion engine (ICE) cars are notorious carbon emitters, causing global temperatures to rise, that much we know. By adopting EVs wholeheartedly, we have a chance to reduce carbon emissions and avoid climate catastrophe. It’s the main reason why governments the world over are pledging to stop selling new gas-powered cars by 2035.
Tesla Charing Near The Muir Woods in San Francisco, CA, Photographed by Robert Couse-Baker for Wikimedia Commons
But a study by the University of California, Berkeley with Gridlab, and thinktank Energy Innovation has predicted several more very good reasons to switch to electric transportation asap. Here’s the great and good of going electric.
  • It is expected that within the next five years, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an EV will be lower than the TCO for an ICE car. Collectively, US citizens will save about $2.7 trillion between now and 2050 by going all electric. That’s almost $1000 a year over the next 30 years or so, for every household in the country.
  • Electrification reduces air pollution, preventing tens of thousands of premature deaths from respiratory and heart diseases, as well as many cases of asthma. This effect will be especially visible in low income communities and communities of color, where air pollution is highest.
  • For workers in the car making industry, the immediate future is uncertain. However, as manufacturers turn the corner and ramp up the production of electric vehicles and car batteries, the number of ‘green’ jobs is expected to grow significantly. Mechanical engineering technicians, machine tool operators, industrial designers and mechanics, they’re all needed in the production and maintenance of electric vehicles in the next few decades.