A parking lot with charging stations for electric cars
Electric Vehicles in Rural Communities (Human Impact)
Grades 9-12
Rural community public transportation is typically not as high-tech or robust as urban public transportation systems. A small town in Texas has found a solution to tackle this problem that will both provide transportation for its residents and reduce carbon fuel emissions. We will explore their solution in this lesson.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
Students will evaluate the effect of a technological solution that reduces the impact of human activities on the environment.
- How are electric vehicles beneficial to the environment?
- Why are electric vehicles becoming more popular than gas-powered vehicles?
Motorweek Clip
- What are GEMs? How do they serve this rural community?
- What is the goal behind adding electric shuttles in rural areas?
- What are the benefits of the electric shuttle system in the community?
Vocabulary
Supplemental Enrichment Activities
and Designing Solutions
How Do Electric Cars Work?
Have students view the model of an electric car and its key components to learn how it operates.
Once students understand this concept, have them construct an explanation, describing how an electric car functions.
Extension Opportunity: Have students compare how an electric car operates to how a gas-powered car operates.
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Review this resource so that students understand other methods we can do within our communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Have a student or group of students become an “expert” on one of these solutions. Perform a jigsaw in which the expert(s) educate others on their solution in more detail.
Electric Vehicle Sales Graph
Analyze and interpret the graph showing the quarterly sales over recent years of hybrid, electric, and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Have students make predictions based on this graph as to whether they think sales of these vehicles will remain stable or change in the future.