Journal of Science Policy & Governance
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Volume 25, Issue 01 | October 28, 2024
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Op-Ed: Beyond Electric Vehicles: Recommendations for State and Municipal Policymakers to Ensure a Sustainable Transportation Future
Ryan Spangler1, Sudipta Kundu2, Trevor White3,4, Varun Darshana Parekh5
Corresponding author: [email protected] |
Keywords: transportation; electric vehicles; batteries; urban development; sustainability; climate change
Executive Summary
Electric vehicles have rapidly become a primary component of the US’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the severity of climate change. While it will surely serve an important role, EV technological advancement alone is far from a silver bullet to solve all transportation-related climate woes. On the contrary, the formidable degree of electrification necessary to meet climate goals, paired with the rapid development of clean power grids and the immense quantity of critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt needed to power this transition, is a cause for concern over the feasibility of a strategy relying fundamentally on electric vehicles. A more comprehensive, impactful, and sustainable strategy would target the car-centric foundations of US culture to make electrification more attainable while also reducing the per-vehicle resource burden and promoting more sustainable battery alternatives.
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Background header image courtesy of evconnect
Ryan Spangler is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University and has led advocacy efforts in the on-campus Science Policy Society. His research interests include thin film synthesis and nanophotonics, aiming to improve thermal management and energy efficiency of electronic microdevices.
Sudipta Kundu is a chemistry graduate student at Pennsylvania State University, where his research focuses on nanomaterials having applications in sustainable energy technologies. He earned his Master of Science in Chemistry from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in India. During his bachelor’s studies at St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata, India, Sudipta developed a keen interest in working on materials that address energy-related challenges. He has also pursued research on materials for sustainable energy storage, such as sodium-ion batteries. He is also a member of the Penn State University Science Policy Society.
Trevor White is an undergraduate student finishing his senior year at Pennsylvania State University – Main Campus. He is working towards two bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Atmospheric Science, and he is minoring in Energy Business and Finance. He is interested in the intersection of climate science policies with larger social justice issues, namely how said policies can be used to both build resilience for communities and correct historical wrongs. Prior to his time at Penn State, Trevor served as a meteorologist in the Marine Corps for eight years.
Varun Parekh is a Ph.D. candidate in the Microsystems Design Lab, Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. As an active member of the on-campus Science Policy Society, he has engaged in numerous advocacy efforts related to science policy and tech diplomacy. His research interests focus on computer architecture for AI, including near-memory computing architectures, chiplet placement, and efficient thermal management of resource-intensive hardware.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Science Policy Society at the Pennsylvania State University for providing a platform through which students may participate in science policy discussions, develop writing skills, and advocate for science-based policy decisions.
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ISSN 2372-2193
ISSN 2372-2193