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Old 04-10-2011, 04:53 PM
 
86 posts, read 258,191 times
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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?
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Old 04-11-2011, 09:08 PM
 
2,974 posts, read 1,975,434 times
Reputation: 3337
...you answered your own question.....none
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Old 04-11-2011, 10:42 PM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,868,443 times
Reputation: 17863
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.
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Old 04-12-2011, 07:22 AM
 
Location: DC
6,848 posts, read 7,959,201 times
Reputation: 3572
If you recharge the electric car at night, it requires no new capacity on the electrical side for years.

Even recharged using coal, an electric car + coal-based energy is cleaner than a gasoline engine car.

More wind energy is produced at night than in the day so the recharge profile for electric vehicles fits well with renewable electricity

Electric cars + coal-based energy solve big city smog and local air pollution problems.

Gasoline fueled cars result in billions going to unstable Middle East countries, which then use the money to fund terrorism.

Yeah I can see how there aren't enough benefits to plug in hybrid cars to interest anyone.
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Old 04-12-2011, 10:19 AM
 
Location: Sinking in the Great Salt Lake
13,139 posts, read 22,742,546 times
Reputation: 14116
Quote:
Originally Posted by ron17571 View Post
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?
I wouldn't complain if I could get one of these:

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i149/szskateman22/tesla-roadster.jpg (broken link)
The Electric Tesla Roadster | Tesla Motors

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.
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Old 04-12-2011, 10:21 AM
 
Location: Bike to Surf!
3,080 posts, read 11,041,055 times
Reputation: 3022
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).

So, yes, there's a big benefit.
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Old 04-12-2011, 01:02 PM
 
15,913 posts, read 20,143,491 times
Reputation: 7693
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chango View Post
I wouldn't complain if I could get one of these:


The Electric Tesla Roadster | Tesla Motors

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.

Seems this car has some major issues:


YouTube - Top Gear Tesla
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Old 04-12-2011, 11:06 PM
 
34 posts, read 47,269 times
Reputation: 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by DCforever View Post

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.
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Old 04-13-2011, 10:08 AM
 
10,135 posts, read 27,392,814 times
Reputation: 8398
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.
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Old 04-13-2011, 10:32 AM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,868,443 times
Reputation: 17863
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilson513 View Post
..... 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.
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