By Joshua Meyer | Reporter
As we experience longer, colder winters and increasingly warmer summers, one must take a step back and ponder some possible solutions to the very real problem of global climate change — one being a change to electric vehicles.
According to the Department of Transportation website, the U.S. federal government is making strides to curb the use of high-emissions vehicles by the public, promoting a policy that they hope will result in half of the cars purchased in the year 2030 to be electric vehicles. If that is to be the case, then Baylor University must also do its part in promoting the use of electric vehicles by installing the proper charging stations across campus.
As of today, Baylor does not possess the proper charging stations that are necessary for sustained use of electric cars around its campus, with the closest supercharging station being a 5-mile drive north of Waco in Bellmead. According to Electrek, a company that compiles news regarding the change from fossil fuels to renewable energy, as of today, the state of Texas boasts 5% of the total national electric vehicle registrations. That number is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years with the influx of residents from California, a state that currently holds 42% of these electric vehicle registrations.
With that being said, there’s already been a noticeable increase in the use of electric vehicles by students on campus over the past few years alone. If Baylor hopes to promote the use of electric vehicles on its campus, then it must invest in the proper facilities to maintain the use of these cars.
According to J.D. Power, the cost of installing these electric charging stations is relatively cheap in comparison to the cost of the irreparable damage done by the emissions produced by gas and diesel vehicles. The ethical argument for promoting low-emissions vehicles isn’t the only incentive Baylor would gain from the installation of these charging stations, because as of 2023, the university would also receive significant corporate tax credits for this action as well.
If Baylor hopes to maintain its image as an innovative institution, then it must start by making these small steps that will no doubt lead to big change for our school, and our planet. It’s decisions like these that will help us to continue to carve the right path as we move ahead into the future.
