Curious about electric vehicles

Core competencies

Communication

• Communicating

Thinking

• Critical and reflecting thinking

Personal and social

• Social awareness and responsibility

Science 10, 11, 12

Big ideas

• Energy is conserved and its transformation can affect living things and the environment (Science 10)
• Scientific understanding enables humans to respond and adapt to changes locally and globally (Science for Citizens 11)
• Living sustainably supports the well-being of self, community and Earth (Environmental Science 12)
• Human activities cause changes in the global climate system (Environmental Science 12)

Content

• Impacts of energy transformations from technologies (Science 10)
• Actions and decisions affecting the environment (Science for Citizens 11)
• Beneficial scientific innovations (Science for Citizens 11)
• Personal choices and sustainable living (Environmental Science 12)

Curricular competencies

Questioning and predicting

• Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal, local or global interest

Planning and conducting

• Collaboratively and individually plan, select and use appropriate investigation methods to collect reliable data

Evaluating

• Demonstrate an awareness of assumptions, question information given and identify bias in their own work and in primary and secondary sources
• Consider social, ethical and environmental implications of findings

Applying and innovating

• Contribute to finding solutions to problems at a local and/or global level through inquiry

Communicating

• Communicate scientific ideas, information and suggested course of action for a specific purpose and audience

Electrification

Electrification refers to switching from fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and natural gas to clean electricity. Teach your students about electrification and making the switch to clean energy with this video.

Electric vehicles

Transportation, through the burning of fossil fuels, is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, governments are moving towards clean renewable energy sources for transportation. By 2040, Canada and B.C. are aiming that all new light trucks and car sales will be zero-emission vehicles. Electric vehicles reduce carbon emissions and need less maintenance due to fewer moving parts and fuel costs. In B.C., 97% of our electricity is generated from a clean and renewable energy source. Barriers to buying an electric vehicle include the initial cost and range, or distance you can travel, on a charge. Innovation and new technologies are continually improving battery storage and EVs are able to travel greater and greater distances. See BC Hydro and PlugInBC for more information.

Clean renewable energy sources

Choosing renewable energy sources helps reduce the impact of our energy use on the environment. In B.C., 97% of electricity is generated from water, a clean and renewable source. Burning fossil fuels for transportation releases greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide into the environment that had previously been trapped underground. 

Asking questions

You may choose to have students focus their questions on the big ideas and content from your subject and grade curriculum.

Students may benefit from working in pairs or small groups as they develop their questions. Have students come up with questions for each of these simple question starters to generate ideas:

• Which…?
• How…?
• What if…?
• Should…?
• Why…?

Once you know the topics your students are interested in, you can work with the librarian to gather useful resources for the initial and more in-depth research. 

• Assess students’ ability to listen, share ideas and stay on topic in paired or class discussion.
• Assess students’ ability to generate questions, plan how to collect information, analyze, apply and share what they learned about EV's.