Why electric cars are finally taking over
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We've known how to build electric cars since long before Tesla came around. And yet, for more than 100 years, we've largely relied on the internal combustion engine running on gasoline to get us from A to B. But that's changing – faster than we might expect. DW Planet A explores the history of EVs and what we still need to solve for.
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One of the keys that will unlock the widespread adoption of EVs is charging infrastructure. There need to be enough charging points with stations that can charge a car quickly and reliably. If you're curious about how EV charging stations work, check out this short explainer video. Despite the rise of renewable energy, the backbone of many power grids is fossil fuels. Adapting the grid to green energy sources is more complicated than flipping a switch.
In Norway, over 80% of cars sold are now electric. Oslo has been described as the EV capital of the world. If you're curious about how and why they got there, check out this video. Not only that, but Norway generates more than 90% of its electricity from renewable energy, mainly from hydropower, and even offers energy storage for other countries in Europe.
Another advantage of electric vehicles is that their batteries and component parts can be recycled. If you want to geek out on batteries and understand all the ways they stand to transform our future and accelerate the energy transition, David Roberts from Volts is probably the best place to start.
Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.
About Earth School
We can save the world. Speed and Scale shows us how to unlock a cleaner, healthier and safer future by laying out a roadmap that will get us to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. How’s it going to work? We need to electrify transportation, decarbonize the grid, fix food, protect nature, clean up industry and remove carbon. To learn how we’re going to do all that - and to learn how you can take action now - explore this page.
Meet The Creators
- Video created by DW Planet A
- Lesson Plan created by TED Ed
