The theme of this EED forum is “Should the transition to electric vehicles be conducted as soon as possible?” For this forum, we have invited three students and one expert to share their insights and perspectives on this issue.
Firstly, Eric presented his viewpoint: an immediate transition is not feasible. He profoundly analyzed the infeasibility from three aspects: producers, consumers, and the environment. For instance, he mentioned that due to the technology not being fully developed, the transition would lead to excessively high manufacturing costs for electric vehicles, which would be disadvantageous for consumers. Therefore, at this stage, traditional gasoline-powered vehicles are still more efficient. Furthermore, he provided the example of Norway to further support his argument.
Then, Jerry mentioned that although it is commonly believed that electronic vehicles (EVs) are more socially friendly than fossil fuel-powered vehicles, this may not be entirely true when considering the entire process. EVs have higher costs in car disposal and manufacturing both socially and ecologically, despite having lower emissions during operation. Specifically, the issues with EV batteries include design, production, and disposal problems. For example, the main type of EV battery, the wet cell battery, has apparent design flaws such as toxicity and flammability, both of which can lead to serious consequences like fires and the release of toxic chemicals. Additionally, there are high opportunity costs associated with the transition.
Next, Justin firmly believed that the transition to electric vehicles should be carried out immediately. He elaborated on his viewpoint from the three major themes of EED: environment, economy, and international relations. Firstly, he believed that electric vehicles can effectively address environmental pollution and global warming. Secondly, he mentioned the new job opportunities that electric vehicles can bring. He further supported his argument using the Paris Agreement. Lastly, he also presented some technology-related reasons.
After the three students shared their views, combined with the free topic analysis materials distributed before the meeting, everyone gained a deeper understanding of this topic. Next, it was time for the expert to speak.
Mr. Qin Rongqing’s speech mainly outlined the rapid growth and significant influence of China’s new energy vehicle market, with a penetration rate reaching 31.6% in 2023, and production and sales volumes reaching record highs. He mentioned that in July 2024, the new energy vehicle market experienced another explosive growth, with the penetration rate surpassing 50% for the first time on a monthly basis. At the same time, he compared the differences between gasoline vehicles and new energy vehicles in terms of purchase cost, operating cost, vehicle structure, and intelligence level, and pointed out the positive impact of the new energy vehicle industry chain on employment, taxation, and GDP. In addition, he also discussed the development trend of new energy vehicles towards intelligence and autonomous driving, as well as the characteristics of new energy vehicles in grid interaction and global development differences. Finally, he mentioned the possibility of a slowdown in lithium-ion battery demand as the penetration rate of new energy vehicles increases.
We believe that everyone has gained a lot from this forum! We look forward to the next EED event, and EED welcomes your participation!