March 01, 2023

Going Green: How the Tesla Model S Will Help Reduce Your Carbon Footprint - Updated

Carbon emissions aren’t just harmful to you, they’re harmful to the planet. According to a joint study from four universities, including Harvard, polluted air from fossil fuel emissions causes 8 million deaths worldwide per year --that’s 1 in 5 deaths worldwide. In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 100,000 deaths caused by these toxic gasses. We need to take air pollution seriously. Tesla understands the urgency of climate change, and that’s why they’re dedicated to creating zero-emission, environmentally-friendly electric cars, like the Model S.

Source: Wikipedia

Electric vehicles still have their fair share of critics. When met with claims that electric vehicles are emission-free, they counter that we aren’t looking at the complete picture. They ask, what about the complete scope of the vehicle’s lifetime, from its creation to its disposal? Even with a lifetime vehicle analysis, electric vehicles still come out ahead. According to a two-year review from the Union of Concerned Scientists, when counting for pollution from manufacturing, battery electric cars still generate only half the emissions gasoline cars do. Depending on where you live, electric vehicles can get 85 miles to the gallon, which greatly offsets the emissions created by their production.

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Still, those stats are looking at the average electric vehicle. And the Tesla Model S is anything but average. So how do Teslas compare? Tesla’s 2019 impact report shows that lifecycle emissions for the Model 3 are much smaller than an average, mid-sized combustion engine vehicle. Per mile, the Model 3 emits 60 percent less C02 emissions.

Tesla also uses a battery recycling program. In this program, Tesla battery packs, at the end of their life, have their materials refined so they can be used over and over. Advancements in recycling have greatly improved the efficiency of recycled materials. Statistics from April 2018 show that after 160,000 miles of use, Tesla batteries are still operating at over 90% of their original capacity.

Meanwhile, as batteries continue to soar, investment in coal has sharply fallen. According to the Yale School of the Environment’s report, “Coal burning worldwide fell a further 3 perfect [in 2019], the biggest decline yet from a peak in 2013. That trend is unlikely to change. The number of new coal plants that began construction worldwide fell by 84 percent between 2015 and 2018”. The energy market is changing, and everyone’s eager to switch to renewable resources.

Source: CleanTechnica via Union of Concerned Scientists*

So it’s clear things are changing. But how? Across the nation, the United States is bracing for electric cars. General Motors is aiming to stop selling all ICE vehicles by the mid-2030s. The White House has put up a goal to accelerate electric vehicle adoption and put up 500,000 new public chargers by 2030. Many car markets, like auto dealerships, will have to adapt to this new climate. Teslas use far less parts than the standard gas engine car. Pistons and spark plugs will be phased out, and less parts means less maintenance. And less maintenance means you’ll save more money! There’s a lot to be excited for in an electric-powered future, and while other manufacturers, like General Motors, and slowly phasing out gas vehicles, Tesla is way ahead of the curve!

Don’t believe us? The charts throughout this article clearly demonstrate the advantages of driving an electric vehicle. It’s arguable whether the manufacture of electric vehicles creates more pollution than the manufacture of ICE vehicles. Regardless, you only need to drive 19,000 miles, a little over a year for the average driver, to offset the carbon footprint from production. Going green is everyone’s responsibility, and owning a Tesla is a great way to offset your carbon footprint.