Transportation as a major consumer of fossil fuels has been among the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change in the United States and worldwide for many years. Electrification of transportation, one of the most important New Mobility technologies, offers an opportunity to change that legacy and contain the rise in the Earth’s temperature to less than two degrees Celsius. By moving away from fossil fuels and towards electricity in batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, we could eventually eliminate that source of greenhouse gases.
Of course, to keep GHG emissions on the decline, the electricity provided to power transportation must be generated using renewable sources such as solar, hydro, and even nuclear which release no GHG emissions. The chart below from the US Environmental Protection Agency illustrates the core sectors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in 2017. You’ll note electricity generation follows closely on the heels of transportation in GHG emissions. However, in recent years, emissions from electricity generation in the US have been declining while they have been increasing from transportation, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
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