[tiberiustibz]

There is a misconception amongst the politicians, the media, and the general public about electric cars being "green." They are most certainly not, and worse for the environment compared with a gas car of equal capacity. Let me explain:

Average Joe has just purchased an EV. He prides himself with being a green member of the community and drives it all he wants without paying for gas. Well, where is this energy coming from? It can't just appear, so it has to come from somewhere. So each night, to fill his car up with energy, Joe plugs his car into an outlet. This is energy in the form of electricity. This is kinetic energy, which is converted into chemical energy when the batteries are charged.
However, little does Joe know, but this energy is not "green." An overwhelming majority of this comes from fossil fuels, like coal fired power plants. Per carbon unit, a coal fired power plant is much worse than an internal combustion engine. Even as such, it's still coming from fossil fuels, and there's nothing renewable about that. Adding to the transmission losses (huge), you get less efficiency.

Now I hear that these "plug-in hybrids" and EVs are saviors of the environment and climate change. This is utter garbage, political propaganda. It is a lie. The only benefit, and reason why these become popular is price. Coal fired plants are much less efficient, but the only reason they can be is because of price. It costs less, but at what toll on global warming and the environment?

[horselover]

We have nuclear power plants here, so it would be clean here. We also use wind power in certain areas, there are 2 wind turbines where I am, one in Pickering by the looks of it, you can see it from the beach area near Port Union Go station, and there's also one down on the CNE grounds.

Darlington and Pickering are home to nuclear power plants.

So, in the GTA, it would be green, and wise to have an electric car.

[tiberiustibz]

IF you buy your energy from a renewable source, which most people don't. Then they go advertising that they're green when they're not.

EVs will be great solutions for transportation especially in cities, stop and go driving and idleing in traffic, but only once the energy put into them is renewable.

80% of the US energy comes from fossil fuels. Not renewable. Just because you live near a nuclear plant doesn't mean the power there is renewable. You have to account for the ratios in the entire united states, otherwise you are saying that because I live near an organic farm all the food I eat is organic. You can BUY renewable credits.

Hyrdrogen is just garbage. We're better off with lead acid EVs.

[workinman]

it is said that single point emissions from a coal plant charging 100 EV's is alot cleaner and more efficient than 100 gas cars burning their own fuel...

if u live somewhere like neveda with tons of sun a simple solar panel on the roof of your home can charge batteries all day that are dumped into the car... BAM 0 emmisions...
there is potential for a vast improvement but like u said, most people think just because the got an EV that they are super green!

[horselover]

Everything around us is nuclear. They've phased out coal powerplants, the last one they shut down, they demolished the smoke stacks on. This was a landmark in the city.

[tater03]

I never really thought of them in this light. Will give me something to ponder. As much as I want to help the environment right now with gas prices they way they are I also need to think about the best way for me to save money on gas.

[stav]

You have to accept that we are not all going to become carbon neutral super green people all at once... BABY steps... that's the only way... one little thing at a time. Electric cars, while not perfect, are a start in the right direction and should be encouraged.

Of course there will always be those who jump on the latest trendy bandwagon, with no understanding of the underlying issues... but it's still a small step in the right direction.

[Craig]

Well I BUY only 100% green energy so an electric car would be great if I could actually get one soon!

Bullfrog Power Home Page - 100% Green Electricity

[horselover]

BullFrog is starting to become more well known. I think sometime last year I posted something about it when it first came out.

[tiberiustibz]

Originally Posted by workinman

it is said that single point emissions from a coal plant charging 100 EV's is alot cleaner and more efficient than 100 gas cars burning their own fuel...

if u live somewhere like neveda with tons of sun a simple solar panel on the roof of your home can charge batteries all day that are dumped into the car...

One, it is not. Coal is an extremely polluting form of energy. The efficiency of such a burning-boil water-turbine process looses a lot, and then transmission losses even more. Running an equivalent sized gas car is cleaner and better for the environment.

Originally Posted by stav

You have to accept that we are not all going to become carbon neutral super green people all at once... BABY steps... that's the only way... one little thing at a time. Electric cars, while not perfect, are a start in the right direction and should be encouraged.

Of course there will always be those who jump on the latest trendy bandwagon, with no understanding of the underlying issues... but it's still a small step in the right direction.

That's the thing, how is it a step in the right direction? If you're sending up more pollution and C02 than just buying a smaller more efficient gas car then what are you getting? It's a step backwards!