electric cars good? (pollution, oil, hybrid car, energy)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So all the electric cars plug in and need energy from coal power plants?and we have enough of a problem with not having enough energy and ive read where theyre shutting down some coal plants.So tell me what is the upside of electric cars?
To figure this out you need look at big picture, firstly coal is domestic resource that is huge plus. More importantly you need to look at how efficiently each type of fuel can be used. To come to any conclusion you need comprehensive analysis of total emissions, you would for example have to include the emissions of transporting and refining gasoline.
If you really want to get technical about it you need to also consider other pollution, for example I read a study comparing emissions of gasoline and electric lawnmowers. The electric lawnmower had far fewer air pollutants however the main concern was the lead pollution for the batteries...
Overall my guess would be coal fired plant is going to bury gasoline because it's such an inefficient use of the fuel right up to and including the combustion engine itself.
So all the electric cars plug in and need energy from coal power plants?and we have enough of a problem with not having enough energy and ive read where theyre shutting down some coal plants.So tell me what is the upside of electric cars?
But the truth of the matter is we'll mostly get more of these instead:
Gasoline engines are honestly the best practical technology for today's transportation needs, but we can't escape the fact oil is only gonna get more scarce and more expensive. Electric cars are the only semi-realistic alternative.
As other's have stated, the big gain is in overall efficiency. Some 80% (more if you count braking--then it's actually in the high-90's) of the energy in gasoline is wasted as heat by an ICE. Then you've also got all the losses involved in refining oil into gasoline, transporting it, storing it, etc.
An electric car has much better efficiency overall, even considering transmission line and power conditioning losses (which are smaller than the losses taken in transporting oil/gas).
But the truth of the matter is we'll mostly get more of these instead:
Gasoline engines are honestly the best practical technology for today's transportation needs, but we can't escape the fact oil is only gonna get more scarce and more expensive. Electric cars are the only semi-realistic alternative.
Even recharged using coal, an electric car + coal-based energy is cleaner than a gasoline engine car.
Yup, I've read an article (or two) on this before. An engine car emits more pollution compared to a coal fired plant. Which means that we are better off using electric cars, even if they require coal to recharge. The reduction of petroleum-based car is important in reducing C02 emissions.
And should the use of electric cars increase, so should the use of renewable energy to power them.
Oh, great, just what we need is a couple of hundred million 400 pound dead batteries loaded with bad metals and the Chinese controlling the raw materials for the new ones. Morons.
..... and the Chinese controlling the raw materials for the new ones. Morons.
Those materials aren't really rare and available here, between the EPA regs and the Chinese flooding the market a decade ago those mines went out of business.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.