Electric cars are rapidly gaining in popularity. In fact, some optimistic projections suggest they could be responsible for 50% of all car sales by 2030.
As their popularity spreads, so does the type of cars that are being converted from traditional gas-guzzlers into electric vehicles. Actor Robert Downey Jr. recently auctioned off a converted 1965 Corvette Sting Ray, raising $77,000 for his FootPrint Coalition, an organization dedicated to investing in high-growth sustainability-focused companies.
The "Iron Man" actor replaced the original 327/300 internal combustion engine and the car's automatic transmission with two alternating current motors. Seven Tesla Model S battery modules provide the car with about 100 miles of range.
The car was featured on an episode of "Downey's Dream Cars," where one of the hosts marveled at the craftsmanship. "That is so cool," they said. "There's nothing now that gives away the fact that it's EV-swapped, including the fact that it still has exhaust tips."
Electric vehicles provide consumers with many benefits. They save drivers money as they don't require expensive gasoline or maintenance such as oil changes.
The environmental benefits are also huge. Since they don't require the burning of gas, electric vehicles don't release tailpipe pollution, which damages people's health and harms our delicate ecosystems. While the production of batteries for electric vehicles does require mining, it still requires much less than fossil fuels for the lifetime of a vehicle, according to a study by the International Energy Agency.
Another study found that you only need to drive an electric vehicle 13,500 miles before its environmental benefits offset the production, with every mile driven from that point forward continuing to be responsible for roughly half as much pollution, according to MIT.
Incredibly, there are even more ways to make the switch to electric vehicles more environmentally responsible. Installing solar panels to charge your car significantly reduces your own environmental impact. It is now easier than ever to switch to solar panels. EnergySage provides users with a free online tool that allows them to compare quotes from vetted contractors and could save customers up to $10,000.
"The goal of this yearlong sweepstakes is to raise significant funding to help environmental technologies take hold in a more systematic way," explained a spokesperson for the FootPrint Coalition, per Spectrum News. "Our job is to race to curate the solutions that can change human systems in the timeliest manner — from research to rollout to new normal."
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