Jun Kim

David Amozurrita

Kelly Nguyen

Road to Efficiency: Does It REALLY Matter?

All right, buckle up in your gasoline-powered truck you’re driving around in these streets

and listen up to this piece of advice that would most definitely blow your mind. Still vibing in

your car? The car that produces countless carbon emissions into the air? The car that screeches

upon pollution and contributes to the dangers of the planet we live on? Yes, we’re talking about

that car. Why not switching lanes into the world of driving greener? Electric vehicles have

existed not too long ago nor recently, however, the level of efficiency those growing inventions

possess proves to be enough for everyone to hop on onboard. We’re here to bring you a pleasant

surprise just like COVID-19 when it was knocking at Earth’s door.

Starting off, COVID 19 is an infectious disease that is transmitted through droplets

generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales. People can get infected by

breathing in the virus if one is within close proximity of someone who has COVID-19, or by

touching a contaminated surface and then your eyes, nose or mouth. Due to the high infection

rate, all around the world stay in home orders and social distancing orders have been placed in

order to decrease the chances of the infection spreading. As a result, many people either work

from home or have lost their job which in turn has shown a significant decrease in traffic and gas

prices and automotive sales. Last year, China, one of the largest producers and manufacturers of

electric vehicles, saw severe subsidy cuts from the government and with the spread of COVID-

19 sales tanked which caused the EV market to crash in China. However, the gas prices won’t

stay low forever. Recently, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced to the public plans to
“restart the economy,” specifically by allowing all retail stores to provide product pickups and

reopen state parks (Svitek, 2020). Currently, only businesses that are considered “essential” were

permitted to work however with the recent change we can expect more people to go outside. One

of the results we can expect is an increase in traffic and in turn an increase in gas prices as more

cars on the road results in an increase in gas demand.

Many people try to steer away from public transportation if possible, to minimize the

chance of getting infected and as a result, many public transportation organizations have reduced

the number of shuttles and trains due to the lower ridership. With Gov. Abbotts new order to

allow retailers to resume business, public transits can expect to see an increase in ridership

(Svitek, 2020). In a statistic published by Metro, in January 2020 the total ridership of local bus

networks were 5,047,218 riders so when the businesses start to open, we can expect to see an

increase in ridership (Metro, 2020) . There will be a percentage of people who may still be

skeptical about public transportation in fear of COVID-19 and as a result may purchase or lease a

vehicle. Despite many people losing their source of income and social distancing, it is still

possible to get a vehicle from home and in some cases may be a better deal. Worry about the

expenses? There are several dealerships and brands including payment deferrals and even some

great deals like, “GM brand’s zero percent retail financing of up to 84 months with a 120- day

payment deferral” or companies such as Hyundai offering programs for those who lost their jobs

to COVID-19 that, “offers payment of up to six months… courtesy of the company themselves”

(Oliva, 2020).

And so, does it really matter? Inevitably, we cannot avoid the Earth’s road to

deterioration from global warming and massive pollution. Though, by driving greener, we as a

whole hold the power to slow the meltdown by taking away one of the factors. Carbon emissions
from cars damage the air we breathe and are “particularly dangerous to infants and people

suffering from heart diseases” in our daily lives (Green, 2018). All living things must suffer even

more aside from battling the rise of climate change and toxic atmospheric oxygen. So why not

change one relatively small thing in your life to live better not only for yourself but the

environment and community as well.

 References

Green, J. (2019, March 02). Effects of Car Pollutants on the Environment. Retrieved April 12,

2020, from https://sciencing.com/effects-car-pollutants-environment-23581.html

METRO, W. (2020). METRO Home. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from

https://www.ridemetro.org/Pages/RidershipReport-012020.aspx

Oliva, J. (2020, April 12). Buying A Car During The Pandemic Will Get You These Great Deals.

Retrieved April 19, 2020, from

https://www.motor1.com/news/407228/car-buying-online-coronavirus-pandemic/

Svitek, P. (2020, April 17). Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces team to restart the economy,\

loosens some restrictions. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/17/texas-reopening-greg-abbott-coronavirus/