Electric vehicle (EV) makers have the right idea: reduce harmful emissions that impact the environment, our health and climate change. However, electric vehicles are only as "clean" as the energy they use. Nuclear technology makes sure they deliver their full potential.
Nuclear-Generated Electricity: An Electric Vehicle Essential
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, EVs could capture more than 70 percent of the U.S. new-car market by 2040. When we consider how to fuel this fleet of clean cars with clean energy, it quickly becomes clear that nuclear-generated electricity will do the heavy lifting as nuclear power is the only energy source that delivers carbon-free, reliable energy 24 hours a day.
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Not So Fast: Electric Vehicles and Fossil Fuels
Hybrid cars, battery-powered cars and electric trains still rely on fossil fuels for manufacturing, batteries and recharging. By some estimates, charging an electric vehicle at night in certain coal-dependent areas can generate more emissions than a gasoline-powered car. To make our future transportation systems truly emission-free, the entire supply chain of electric vehicles must be emission-free too. Nuclear energy is currently the most viable option for a steady stream of reliable, carbon-free electricity. EV manufacturers, battery manufacturers and recharging stations can all harness nuclear technology to help us make the full shift to clean transportation.
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Nuclear Energy Can Help Ready Our Infrastructure for EVs
Electric vehicles will increase the demand for electricity in the United States. Many of these vehicles will charge overnight, and that demand can come from nuclear plants that run around-the-clock. Since electricity generated from nuclear energy does not produce carbon dioxide, nuclear energy will help ensure that a switch to electric vehicles will provide the most benefit to the environment.
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Nuclear for Hydrogen Fuel Production
Nuclear power plants can be used to generate hydrogen, an alternative engine fuel that is emission-free. Electric cars and trucks can run for twice as long on hydrogen fuel and can be refueled in less than five minutes (the same amount of time it takes to refill a conventional car’s gas tank). Hydrogen is also compatible with combustion engines and could play a major role in the energy landscape as a substitute for fossil fuels.