Electric Vehicles and Climate Change
Provided by: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative|Published on: October 20, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Physics
Authors: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This lesson allows students to investigate where their electricity comes from, the effects of gas-powered vehicles on our health and the planet, and how we can help reduce emissions by making the switch to electric cars for most situations.
- The lesson includes a short podcast, teacher pages and resources, student worksheets, brief readings, investigation activities, a group project, and an analysis of charts and maps to establish why electric cars are an important climate solution.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The resource includes all teaching materials, an educator's guide on how to use the activities, and resource links for additional information.
- The Air Pollutants Communication Project allows students to apply their knowledge in the real world by creating a communication plan to encourage solutions for improving air quality at their school.
- Each section can be used as a standalone or in sequence.
Additional Prerequisites
- The first two activities require access to the internet.
- The Air Pollutants Communication Project tiny URL link is broken, so use this link instead.
- Students should be comfortable with reading charts and graphs.
Differentiation
- The first activity includes a glossary on the website and activity sheet for students unfamiliar with certain terms.
- Students could research the total emissions and costs of the different vehicles if we counted the footprint of the production of the cars. The last section of this resource only evaluates the cost and emissions once the vehicles are in use.
- This resource can also be used in language arts classes during lessons about communicating complex scientific topics and the importance of climate solutions.
- Health classes can make connections using this resource when discussing health conditions such as asthma, COPD, and cardiovascular disease.
- Additional resources include this activity on comparing gas and electric vehicles and this reading comprehension activity on electric cars.
This resource provides students with sources and tools to understand the promise and limitations of electric vehicles. The 10-page student handout is well-sourced and provides numerous opportunities for students to interact with energy, fuel efficiency, and CO2 emissions data. Resources are provided from MIT, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the EPA that help students understand the makeup of our electrical grid and the potential climate and environmental benefits of electric cars. A communication project is also included to give students a chance to affect change in their communities. (The only issue in this entire resource is one broken link on page 8 of the student pages. Just remove ‘1’ from the end of the URL at the top of the page and it will work). Put succinctly, this resource informs students of electric vehicles in a meaningful way and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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