Posted on 03/11/2013 6:47:38 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Electric cars are promoted as the chic harbinger of an environmentally benign future. Ads assure us of "zero emissions," and President Obama has promised a million on the road by 2015. With sales for 2012 coming in at about 50,000, that million-car figure is a pipe dream. Consumers remain wary of the cars' limited range, higher price and the logistics of battery-charging. But for those who do own an electric car, at least there is the consolation that it's truly green, right? Not really.
For proponents such as the actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio, the main argument is that their electric cars—whether it's a $100,000 Fisker Karma (Mr. DiCaprio's ride) or a $28,000 Nissan Leaf—don't contribute to global warming. And, sure, electric cars don't emit carbon-dioxide on the road. But the energy used for their manufacture and continual battery charges certainly does—far more than most people realize.
A 2012 comprehensive life-cycle analysis in Journal of Industrial Ecology shows that almost half the lifetime carbon-dioxide emissions from an electric car come from the energy used to produce the car, especially the battery. The mining of lithium, for instance, is a less than green activity. By contrast, the manufacture of a gas-powered car accounts for 17% of its lifetime carbon-dioxide emissions. When an electric car rolls off the production line, it has already been responsible for 30,000 pounds of carbon-dioxide emission. The amount for making a conventional car: 14,000 pounds.
While electric-car owners may cruise around feeling virtuous, they still recharge using electricity overwhelmingly produced with fossil fuels. Thus, the life-cycle analysis shows that for every mile driven, the average electric car indirectly emits about six ounces of carbon-dioxide. This is still a lot better than a similar-size conventional car, which emits about 12 ounces per mile.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Break light? Is that the “smoke break” or “lunch break” light?
I know several volunteer firefighters. They had to go through special training to deal with accidents involving hybrids and electrics.
Ask first responders how they treat battery powered cars in crashes. We have a firefighter in our congregation and they hate electric cars when involved in crashes.
Hybrids run on gasoline meaning oil. They burn gasoline or diesel to charge their batteries. Few or none have a plug-in option
Very true.My one cold weather car story took place in central Quebec in January 2011.Car sat out in -25F cold for 12 hours...8AM next morning...-31F...car started like a champ.It was a diesel with no battery charger,no block warmer...just a tankful of diesel bought at a local station. An electric car at those temps? No thank you!
LOL Reality bites... How many years do those car batteries last? The energy going into building the car is wasted after a few years because 'green' batteries are too expensive to replace at a certain point.
Liberal elites have created the worst of the worst - a 'disposable car'...
Their prime selling point has always been the feelings of moral superiority electric cars induce in the owners.
These facts have always been known by those of us in the technical community. It is fascinating (and disheartening) to watch the technically illiterate (e.g., journalists, most politicians, and bottom-dwelling Hollywood types) pontificate on electric cars.
Oh well, guess folks will always listen to someone like Leonardo De-Dumbo vs someone who actually has demonstrated measurable IQ.
The South Park guys hit the nail on the head with that one...
Instead of “smog”, they had a cloud of “smug” hanging over their town.
Couldn't possibly be "smoke break" - only Dear Leader will be allowed smoke breaks.
I got a GREAT deal on a 2 year Flease, er, I mean lease of a Nissan Leaf! Paying a few bucks more than I was in gas, and I’m out of it in 2 years. Plus I can charge it at work. If its a drive-around-town car you are looking for, its not bad. I really enjoy driving it....Has some great pep to it, but it has to be used right, ie not expecting to drive it 80+ miles round trip in a day, or going 60+ miles on the freeway....
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I’m definitely not “green” and I agree that these cars are probably worse for the environment, but I do enjoy driving it!
Carbon Dioxide? You mean “Plant Food?”
As for electric cars, I would be interested in one, doesn't need to have great range, I have another car for that. It doesnt have to be the equivalent of a gasoline powered vehicle. The bottom line is, it just doesnt make any economic sense (too expensive), nor, as Lomborg points out, environmental sense.
My big question has always been about the batteries, nasty chemicals and metals in those. Manufacturing and disposing of them, in very large scales, will be a nightmare.
Thats the problem with most liberals, they dont think things very deeply, one, maybe two layers at most.
I never believed the crap about “zero emissions.”
They never had the decency to say that the total pollution caused by an electric car is unacceptable.
Yeah, the problem with pointing and laughing at them on this is that you’re inherently accepting the premise that CO2 is a pollutant.
More natural gas these days
My buddy’s daughter has a Tesla. Nearest dealer is 150 miles away in Chicago so they truck it to your door.
It’s a beautiful car but very expensive as you say.
Rippin’ fast on accel, 0-60 in 4 secs, dusted off his Corvette for as long as we were brave (stupid?) enough to race.
She gets free “juice” at work so that might help her financials a bit. But she’s already squabbling with the Volt owners over who gets the plug-in every day LOL.
I’m curious as to how often that “break” light gets used??? LOL.
I like it! Looks about right for all those new communities we can form once the higher ed bubble bursts and we’ve got all those campuses to repurpose.
Wonder what the tonage of waste is produced per year by nuclear power plants.
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