The world is being taken over by robots! At least, that’s what most people think about when the future is mentioned. Would you think it’s crazy if I told you that was true? Well, our technology has advanced a lot during the past few years, especially our vehicle technology. 

Let’s start with how normal and electric cars function. A normal car is powered by fuel, or gasoline. Then, there’s the spark plug. It’s used for, you guessed it, creating a spark. The spark ignites the gasoline, and causes it to burn. The energy this creates moves through cylinders in the car, and causes the pistons to move up and down. Yes, this is a lot of car talk, but hang tight with me here. These pistons are attached to some rods that move a part of the car called the crankshaft. This movement causes the wheels to turn. I’m guessing you don’t understand half of what I said. To be honest, neither do I. Maybe a demonstration will lighten the mood. 

There we go. Much better. The reason a normal car isn’t healthy for the environment is because of the fossil fuels that come from the gasoline used in cars. It’s released into the atmosphere, causing a series of problems. An electric car functions a bit differently than a regular car. Electric cars are plugged into a charging station, and the car stores the electricity it gets from the grid in rechargeable batteries. These batteries power an electric motor that turns the wheels of the car. And BOOM! The electric car is ready for driving. I know, I know. Hold the applause. Wait, you want an animation? Sigh… Fine.

There you go. Anyways, the electric car is much better for the environment because it doesn’t use gasoline like a regular car. As you can see, it uses an electric battery, so, no fossil fuels are released, and the environment is happy. I know what you’re thinking. Electric cars sound so much better than regular cars. They’re good for the environment, and they look pretty awesome. So, why doesn’t everyone buy an electric car? Well, I may have covered up some of the truth about electric cars. EV technology actually does host some problems. Allow me to inform you of the negative side of electric vehicles.

First of all, there’s the cost. An average electric car’s price is about $19,000 higher than an average gasoline car. Hold on! Before you throw away your dreams of owning an EV, there is a benefit. Since the government wants to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, you can get some money back when you buy an electric car. My relatives recently purchased a Tesla, and got around $600 from it. So, on average, you would really only be paying $18,400(Yes, I just did that without a calculator).I know I said I would talk about the negatives, but I just had to add that. Ok, now for the real negative side. A lot of the fear about buying an EV is range anxiety, or fear about the car stopping at a certain distance. Although the battery in an electric car is quite strong, at certain times it won’t be sufficient enough to reach the destination. There also may not be a charging station on the road, causing the car to stop. Even if there were some charging stations available, it would be very time consuming to stop at all of them to charge your car. Let’s go back to the example of my relatives. When they came to visit, they had to stop at a lot of different charging stations for their car, so it took longer for them to reach our house. Guess what? There’s a solution for this too. Yeah, I know. I should just rename this section, “There is Nothing Wrong with Electric Vehicles.” Anyway, you can get a charging station at home for your car, kind of like charging your phone. Furthermore, the battery life in electric vehicles is rapidly growing, so you can travel farther distances. Ok, I think that’s enough for the “negatives” section. I don’t want you guys to think I’m trying to sell some type of electric car.

Now that I’ve admitted my obsession with electric cars, I bet you’re wondering what some of these cars are called and how they look. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.

The fifth most popular car in 2021 was one that was the most desirable but average in performance and style. The Nissan Leaf sold 7,729 units.

The fourth most popular car in 2021 was the Ford Mustang Mach E. Although it wasn’t the first Ford, it was very popular this year. It sold 12,975 units.

The third most popular car was the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV. It has just been redesigned and is at the top of the charts. 

The second most popular electric car is the Tesla Model 3, and it sold 51,510 units. It had a massive touchscreen display, and a simple but sleek design. For some reason though, the popularity with the Tesla Model 3 has taken a blow.

Finally, the top most popular electric car model was the…(drumroll please) Tesla Model Y! This particular Tesla model quickly eclipsed all the other models, selling 76, 429 units. It has a third row containing 2 seats, but it’s still a bit cramped. Despite this, it was the most popular this year. 

So, although driving an electric vehicle doesn’t sound as exciting as being destroyed by robots, this is one type of technology that exists right now. In fact, many car companies are working on new electric car models today. Ok, well I’m off to be jealous of people with electric cars, or at least until I’m old enough and I have about 40,000 dollars. Hmph. 

Pictures and descriptions from “Car and Driver,” “12 Best Selling Electric Vehicles of 2021(So Far).”

Information from, “English Online.” and “EDF Energy.”

Smera’s Aunt’s and Uncle’s Tesla