Are electric vehicles actually cleaner? Let's take a drive through the reality.

Good morning! Today is Wednesday, July 15, 2026. A few weeks ago, we focused on the impact in the sky but now it’s time to become grounded and explore EVs. In recent years, there has been a push by major car companies to start producing electric vehicles. Leading electric vehicle companies including Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian have set the standards, and now more and more EV models are popping up. In today’s edit, we will explore the sustainability of EVs. 

Before we dive into how electric vehicles affect our roads, it is important to look at the broader cradle-to-grave environmental impact of these battery-powered cars (it may surprise you that they aren't completely "zero-emission").

To build an EV, a massive amount of raw materials must be pulled from the earth. The heart of an EV is its lithium-ion battery, which requires heavy mining for elements like lithium, cobalt, manganese, and graphite. Extracting these materials is a leading driver of localized environmental destruction in places where landscapes are cleared and massive amounts of groundwater are consumed. Mining just one ton of lithium can require up to 500,000 gallons of water! This intensive manufacturing phase means that before an EV even drives its first mile, it starts its life with a higher carbon debt than a traditional gas-powered car.

While EVs have zero tailpipe emissions—meaning they don't spew smog or carbon dioxide while idling at a red light—they have an indirect relationship with our electric grid. An EV is only as clean as the energy used to charge it. If you plug your car into a grid that relies heavily on burning coal or natural gas, you are essentially just shifting the emissions from the highway to a power plant down the road. Luckily, as more renewable energy like solar and wind gets added to our local grids, EVs naturally become cleaner every single year.

While air pollution is the obvious target when discussing vehicles, tire wear and weight are very relevant. Because EV batteries are incredibly heavy, these cars weigh significantly more than gas vehicles. This extra weight causes tires to wear down faster, releasing micro-plastic rubber particles into the air and washing toxic runoff into local streams when storms come along.

In the end, an electric vehicle is more sustainable than a gas-powered car- especially if powered by solar or wind energy. This is a prime example of an environmental trade-off. Almost anything made or done by man is hurting the environment but the extent and efficiency to which it is done is what makes something sustainable or not.

At a press conference Tuesday morning New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she is ordering a moratorium on A.I Data Centers in New York state. She explained how it is an immediate need to address the strain on resources posed by data centers. In an interview with ABC, Hochul explained how data centers need accountability and emphasized how they must source their own energy. Hochul is committed to solving the data center crisis and stated “New York doesn’t just wanna be the first. We wanna be the first to get it right”.  New York is the first state to put a pause on the expansion of A.I data centers and they are hopeful that, by doing so, other states follow.

What year was the very first crude electric vehicle built?

A. 1898

B. 1832

C. 1916

D. 1988

Correct answer at the end of the newsletter!

When on the road, driving an electric vehicle is not the only way to stay sustainable. Since we talked about how heavy EV batteries cause faster tire wear, the best thing you can do—whether you drive an EV or a gas car—is change how you accelerate. Hard, fast acceleration drags those heavy tires against the asphalt, shedding micro-plastics right into our local environment. Gentle easing onto the pedal preserves your tread, protects our local waterways from rubber runoff, and saves you a ton of money on replacement tires! Adding onto this, empty out your trunk! The extra weight from the junk in the backseat and trunk of your car makes the engine work harder. By clearing out this junk, your car will be more efficient and have a lesser environmental impact.

That will do it for this week’s edition of The Environmental Edit. I hope you enjoyed reading and hope to see you back next week. The answer was B! Scottish inventor Robert Anderson built the first crude electric carriage in the 1830s. In fact, by 1900, about one-third of all vehicles on US roads were electric because they were quieter and cleaner than steam and gas cars of the time. On a side note—share this with a friend who drives an EV to enlighten them on their car! Have a fantastic rest of your week!