With Electric Pace Car, NASCAR puts pedal down on green efforts (Washington Post Sports)

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Article: With Electric Pace Car, NASCAR puts pedal down on green efforts (Washington Post Sports)
Summary of Article
The trademark of NASCAR is the loud engine sounds that come from the race cars that go round the race tracks during the tournaments it holds. These cars are touted to consume a gallon of gasoline for every five miles they go. When the Elite Sprint cup is held, over 135,000 gallons of fuel is burnt by the racing vehicles (Helber 1).
In a world where the trend is to go green, NASCAR risked going into oblivion if it refused to dance to the same tune. In line with this, an environmental initiative was launched by NASCAR. The name of this program is NASCAR green. Since its inception, it has been pushing for sensitivity when it comes to dealing with the environment. To prove their seriousness towards environmental stewardship, NASCAR recently unveiled an electric pace car that has been manufactured by Ford motors. This car will lead 43 stock cars to the green flag.
The car is an all-electric Ford Focus is going to be sold in 16 pre-selected Markets and its retail price will be just under 40,000 Dollars. Mike Lynch, NASCAR’s Managing Director for Green Innovation said that virtually everybody in the United States knows a thing or two about going green. He also went on to say that this move will indeed show that NASCAR is accommodative of green solutions.
This is Ford’s first carbon-free passenger car. It seats five people and has a virtually silent engine. This car is touted as being friendly as it displays images of butterflies when it is driven gently. That is gentle acceleration and braking which helps to conserve power in its 600 pound battery (Helber 3).
Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1Electric Ford Escort

Source: Washingtonpost.com
Introduction
This essay aims to argue that there is no significant environmental benefit of electric cars as an alternative to gasoline powered vehicles. As part of their environmental friendliness program, NASCAR has decided to use an electric car as its pace car so as to show the public that they are committed to green practices. It is true that electric cars do not produce any carbon-based gases. However, the claim that they are a sustainable alternative to their gas-powered counterparts is flawed since there is no significant scientific backing on the environmentally friendly tag that is often attached to them.
Rebuttal
Electric vehicles increase the burden on the electricity grid. The electricity is generated in some cases, through the combustion of coal, a fossil fuel just like petrol or diesel. In areas where the electric power is derived from coal. An increased demand for electric power in these areas will automatically lead to an increased demand for coal. By using electric cars, people will merely be exchanging one carbon-based fuel for another. As much as their cars are not contributing carbon to the atmosphere directly, the energy needs of the car will dictate that somebody else assumes the task. In this context the energy companies are the ones who now assume the task of polluting the environment on behalf of the driver of the electric car. This will inadvertently lead to further global warming since the increased combustion of coal in power plants will increase the carbon footprint of power plants thus defeat the very purpose that electric cars intend to do.
The overall reductions in carbon emissions as a direct result of consumers choosing electric cars and hybrids are largely reliant on projections of consumer trends that go between 30 to 60 plus years in the future. The problem with projections is that they are usually based on the assumption that Market conditions will stay constant. One such study shows that the use of hybrid cars and electric cars has the potential to cut down the carbon emissions by 6.12 billion tons annually by 2050. This will happen provided the sales of hybrids and electric vehicles increase by 42% over the next two decades and then nearly doubles by 2050.
As of today, power plants can still manage to power these vehicles with little effect on the air quality. Studies however show that by 2030 in areas where vehicle use is heavy, there will be a modest improvement in the air quality in the cities but at the same time increased levels of ozone, mercury and particulate matter in the regions near power plants thus compromising the air quality for residents in such areas (Trimble and Pepitone 1).
Other scientists went the extra mile albeit using a hypothetical situation. In their calculations they found that the impac...