“DU students weigh in on the future of transportation: electric or gasoline?”

A local gas station showing a price of almost 4 dollars a gallon.
Photo by August Smith.

The question of whether electric or hybrid vehicles can be a sustainable replacement for gasoline powered ones has been prominent in recent years, and as climate change continues to occur, the question is beginning to carry more weight.

With gas prices continuing to rise locally and nationally, electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular. Though gas vehicles are still dominant, some students at the University of Denver think replacement is absolutely possible in the near future.

When asked whether or not he thought electric vehicles were the future of automotive transportation, University of Denver student Xavier Zuvekas stated that “gas powered cars will be fully replaced by electric ones, as long as we create more sustainable and power-dense battery technology,”. 

Newer and better technology could absolutely hold the key to unlocking the full potential of electric vehicles, especially since the average electric vehicle can go about 194 miles per charge, whereas the average gas powered vehicle can travel up to 400 miles per tank of gas. 

“Electric vehicles are absolutely crucial and beneficial to our mission to decrease fossil fuel usage,” stated University of Denver student Becket Mohns.

The city of Denver has been aggressively leading a charge for cutting down on usage of single-occupancy vehicles, and investing in more publicly available transportation. Over 73% of Denver commuters drive alone, and the city of Denver has committed to reduce that number to 60%. 

Specifically, the University of Denver provides free charging stations to students who choose to utilize electric vehicles, as well as reserved parking for “green” vehicles.

When asked whether or not he was aware of this, University of Denver student Eli Boss replied that he was not, but that he believed “it was a good option to have on campus, especially because it encourages more electric vehicles on campus ”.

Some students, however, have doubts about whether or not it is possible to completely or almost completely make the switch to electric vehicles over gasoline powered ones. 

University of Denver junior Jacob Tedford stated skeptically “as of now, larger vehicles such as semi trucks need the torque and power that gas can provide, and there will always be a niche demand for gas cars,”. 

Switching to an electric vehicle does indeed pose some issues, such as the questions of affordability and mileage count. 

However, according to Car and Driver, there is a minimal price difference over a 3 year period between owning a gas versus electric vehicle, a fact that is relatively unknown to the general population.

When asked whether this comparison would influence his decision to buy a gas vehicle versus an electric one, University of Denver student Xavier Zuvekas stated “there must be more affordable options, and better infrastructure for electric vehicles. The greatest challenge will be integration, and I think that without a massive energy distribution overhaul, real change is still a decent number of years away”.