Automobiles as a Means of Transportation
Transportation is undoubtedly one of humanity's most basic needs. From past to present, people have used various methods to get around.
Until the 18th century, people used riding animals for transportation. Later, automobiles powered by steam energy were produced. By the late 19th century, the first automobile with an internal combustion engine was built.
Thus, automobiles have continuously evolved and become an indispensable part of our lives.
Environmental Harm from Automobiles and Measures Taken
Although automobiles make our lives much easier, they also have harmful characteristics. The most important of these is the harmful gases they release into the environment.
These gases are also very harmful to human health. For this reason, many organizations worldwide have published emission regulations to reduce the harmful impact of automobiles.
Diesel fuels pollute the environment more than petroleum, so various regulations have been introduced for them.
For example, it has become mandatory for vehicles to have Diesel Particulate Filters, aiming to trap toxic substances from diesel fuel inside this filter.
Another measure is installing the Adblue system on vehicles. Working together with diesel fuel, this system was introduced to significantly reduce diesel's environmental harm.
However, these regulations reduce harm but are not definitive solutions that completely prevent it.
The European Union Making Electric Vehicle Use Mandatory by 2035
Electric vehicles, having no internal combustion engine, do not release any harmful gases into the environment.
For this reason, electric vehicle production has accelerated in Europe and many parts of the world, and electric vehicle use has increased accordingly.
Although this currently happens through individual choice, it will become mandatory in the future. Because the European Union announced that it will ban internal combustion engine vehicles from 2035.
Many manufacturers also stated that from 2030 they will stop producing diesel or gasoline vehicles and produce only electric vehicles. The European Union made this decision because toxic gases released into the environment severely damage the atmosphere.
These harmful gases released into the atmosphere will cause serious climate problems such as drought in the future. To prevent this entirely, the European Union has banned diesel and gasoline vehicles from 2035.
To reduce this harm, so-called 'hybrid' vehicles — semi-fuel, semi-electric automobiles — have been used. We can describe hybrid vehicle use as a transition period to electric vehicles.
Hybrid vehicles have been extremely effective in preventing this harm. However, because they still contain fuel, they could not reduce harm to zero.
Changing climate conditions and rising global warming forced the European Union to make this decision; they believed that without it, Europe would face major climate problems in the future.
Considering all of this, the decision taken by the European Union is extremely important and concerns the entire world.
This decision, along with vehicle manufacturers' compliance, signals that many countries will take similar decisions in the coming years.
In short, with electric vehicles, polluted air will give way to clean air again.