[tiberiustibz]

Oh, we've seen the solar powered car. It doesn't go up hills, only down. and only on sunny days. You don't have enough space on top to charge your car up fully. You can only hope for a top off if you park it in a parking lot all day.

[workinman]

i'm installing a micro hydro system in the stream in front of my new house sometime this year... if i had an electric car and plugged into that free, green energy all night that would be a damn good thing!
it is a step in the right direction when used to its fullest potential! i wasn't talking about solar cars, i was refering to people that have electric cars and have installed solar panels on the roofs of their homes to aid in the charging of their cars... a good thing

[stav]

if we are using less gas, then less will be produced, along with all the pollution and emissions oil fields, and refineries pump into the atmosphere... it's not perfect, but there was a time when the gas companies totally repressed ANY kind of alternative in their fear for their profits... however you look at it.. this IS a good step...

[workinman]

Why Electric Cars? | Who Killed the Electric Car?

1. Electricity is cheaper than gas, and can come from renewable resources such as solar and wind power.
2. Electric cars pollute less than gas-powered cars (especially when renewable energy sources are used to generate the electricity).
3. Electric cars are much more reliable and require less maintenance than gas-powered cars. You don't even need to get your quarterly oil change!
4. By using domestically-generated electricity rather than relying on foreign oil, we can achieve energy independence and will no longer need to engage in costly wars in the Middle East to secure an energy supply.
5. Electric cars can utilize the existing electric grid rather than require the development of a new, expensive energy infrastructure (as would be the case with hydrogen).

[Green-Moo]

Electric cars have got to be a positive step. At least there is an opportunity to charge them using renewable power sources, unlike 'traditional' vehicles.

[Kitten]

I actually don't usually hear it portrayed as being "green," but rather an alternative to traditional fuel.

[tiberiustibz]

Originally Posted by workinman

i'm installing a micro hydro system in the stream in front of my new house sometime this year... if i had an electric car and plugged into that free, green energy all night that would be a damn good thing!

And that is a perfect solution! But you must remember, micro-hydro is available only to a select few people, and most people are not charging their EVs renewably like you would be. Micro hydro will not be a large factor in our transition from fossil fuels because of the limited access.

The catch with electric cars are that they are a lot cheaper to operate, because there is no OPEC of coal and it's so easy to produce power from it on a large scale. That means cheap electricity.

Originally Posted by workinman

1. Electricity is cheaper than gas, and can come from renewable resources such as solar and wind power.

Yes. But it does not normally come renewably, as most people use it. Therein lies the problem with the green connection.

2. Electric cars pollute less than gas-powered cars (especially when renewable energy sources are used to generate the electricity).

I don't have an exact calculation to prove my point, do you? Coal is not clean at all. Per carbon unit coal is the least efficient fossil fuel we use. Gas is much cleaner. Plus when you add the particle pollution it gets much worse. Add the power grid transmission losses and you have a gigantic appendage on your efficiency equation. It's not cleaner.

3. Electric cars are much more reliable and require less maintenance than gas-powered cars. You don't even need to get your quarterly oil change!

No, but theres 1 grand every 3 years for battery changes, and you have to dispose of them.

4. By using domestically-generated electricity rather than relying on foreign oil, we can achieve energy independence and will no longer need to engage in costly wars in the Middle East to secure an energy supply.

If you don't care about the environment and simply economics that's a perfect way to look at it.

5. Electric cars can utilize the existing electric grid rather than require the development of a new, expensive energy infrastructure (as would be the case with hydrogen).

That they can. Plus hydrogen is terribly inefficient, about 50% fuel cell output compared with 95% lead acid.

Any way you look at it, EVs aren't naturally "green". You can make them that way, but you can't just buy one, plug it in, and claim you're saving the world.

[workinman]

Any way you look at it, EVs aren't naturally "green". You can make them that way, but you can't just buy one, plug it in, and claim you're saving the world.

besides walking, i don't think there is a 'Green' form of transportation!
if they began mass producing electric cars right now i doubt that it would be a plausible answer for the mess we are in...
if they would have started YEARS ago when the technology first became available i doubt we'd been in the crisis we will soon be facing...
o'well....