SHOULD GAS-POWERED CARS BE BANNED BY 2035?
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The case for
Transportation accounts for roughly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and new vehicles sold today will still be on the road in 2045. A 2035 ban on new gas vehicle sales does not remove any existing car; it shapes the fleet that will dominate emissions in the 2040s and 2050s — exactly the...
Posted by jconnor
Battery costs have fallen from $1,100 per kilowatt-hour in 2010 to under $100 in 2024, a 90% reduction in 14 years. At current trajectories, EVs will be cheaper to purchase and operate than gas vehicles by 2030 without any mandate. The ban does not force consumers to buy more expensive cars; it...
Posted by jconnor
Norway reached over 90% EV market share in 2023 through 30 years of consistent policy commitment. The US does not have 30 years. A hard 2035 deadline creates the long-term certainty automakers need to commit capital fully; without it, they maintain combustion production lines as a hedge that delays...
Posted by jconnor
The case against
The average EV price in 2024 remains above $50,000, and the federal tax credit reaches fewer than half of buyers due to income caps and vehicle price limits. Rural Americans drive longer distances, cannot charge at home in rented apartments, and live far from public charging networks. A mandate...
Posted by jconnor
Mining the lithium, cobalt, and manganese required for EV batteries produces significant environmental harm in Chile, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Indonesia — water table destruction, worker exploitation, community displacement. Replacing tailpipe emissions with mining emissions in other...
Posted by jconnor
China controls 75% of global battery manufacturing capacity and dominates critical mineral processing for EV batteries. An accelerated US EV mandate dependent on Chinese supply chains transfers American automotive leadership to a strategic competitor at the worst possible geopolitical moment....
Posted by jconnor
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What is a strong argument for "Should Gas-Powered Cars Be Banned by 2035?"?
Transportation accounts for roughly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and new vehicles sold today will still be on the road in 2045. A 2035 ban on new gas vehicle sales does not remove any existing car; it shapes the fleet that will dominate emissions in the 2040s and 2050s — exactly the... (Argued by jconnor on SuperDebate.)
What is a strong argument against "Should Gas-Powered Cars Be Banned by 2035?"?
The average EV price in 2024 remains above $50,000, and the federal tax credit reaches fewer than half of buyers due to income caps and vehicle price limits. Rural Americans drive longer distances, cannot charge at home in rented apartments, and live far from public charging networks. A mandate... (Argued by jconnor on SuperDebate.)
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