GAO: Electric Cars Won't Reduce Carbon Emissions

HotAir.com ^ | July 10, 2009

[WhiteCastle]

The push for conversion to plug-in electric cars will do nothing to stop carbon emissions, a report by the GAO warns, throwing cold water on a push by Democrats to get more plug-ins on the road. In fact, the problem could be made worse as demand goes up at coal-fired electrical plants. Plus, the need for batteries may just have the US changing the dictators to which we’re chained, as IBD reports...

[Army Air Corps]

Ping!

[ltc8k6]

Thus the term “coal powered” for an electric car...

This is not news to any thinking person...

[Zeddicus]

What? Nonsense. Doesn’t electricity just magically come out of the wall?

[DLfromthedesert]

Drill Here Drill Now

[Principled]

Can someone post Captain Obvious?

Geez FR has been saying this for years.

[Erik Latranyi]

I’ve said this before......why trade big oil for monopolistic electricity?

[xcamel]

Unless they take the chains off building clean nukes...

[Sacajaweau]

WE DO NOT HAVE ELECTRIC CARS AVAILABLE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. STOP SELLING SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T EXIST.

And we're not going to buy some over priced tin can when it does come about.

[Brad from Tennessee]

The solution is more nuclear power. While the U.S. has been hamstrung by environmental radicals and their pawns in Congress, the rest of the world has surged ahead in this field. The Japanese sell a portable reactor the size of an 18-wheeler for small communities. It can be shipped to the site in one piece, operate with little maintenance for years, then removed and replaced. The old unit is shipped back to Japan for decontamination.

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Toshiba’s_Home_Nuclear_Fusion_Reactor

[umgud]

Electric cars have been around for nearly 100 years and haven’t been practical.

Give it up.

[sr4402]

The push for conversion to plug-in electric cars will do nothing to stop carbon emissions, a report by the GAO warns, throwing cold water on a push by Democrats to get more plug-ins on the road. In fact, the problem could be made worse as demand goes up at coal-fired electrical plants. Plus, the need for batteries may just have the US changing the dictators to which we’re chained, as IBD reports...

Oh what a bunch of Claptrap.

1) Even thought he EPA says it's not. Carbon Dioxide is a natural gas consumed by plants and photo plankton, which in turn gives us Oxygen. This cycle has been going on for thousands of years and no one has proven it is broken.

2) Electricity can be produced by Hydroelectric, Solar and Wind power easily. None of these requires a power plant, but those that do are very convenient.

3) Battery efficiency is increasing at a great rate and the newer technologies will make it possible to store more power than ever before.

4) Cap and Trade will probably Tax your car in the near future.

Given all of this, do you thing the Government (GAO) should tell the car companies Not to make Electric Cars??

[Zeddicus]

Cool, but why are they calling it a fusion reactor?

[sr4402]

WE DO NOT HAVE ELECTRIC CARS AVAILABLE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. STOP SELLING SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T EXIST.

Tell that to Tesla Motors.

[sr4402]

Horse Buggy manufacturers probably thought that the Automobile would never work out in the general public either.

Just because it isn't quite ready for prime time, doesn't mean it won't be. And just because it is expensive now, don't think it will be in the furture. Think Computers and Memory.

[musicman]

"GAO: Electric Cars Won't Reduce Carbon Emissions"

[ANGGAPO]

I have to agree with you on that. But the C & T bill will tax just about everything you purchase.And the folks at the bottom of the pecking order better think about tents and Spam.

[PreciousLiberty]

“Unless they take the chains off building clean nukes...”

Exactly. That’s the elephant in the room - even if you want to reduce CO2 there’s a practical and virtually unlimited, DOMESTIC energy source that’ll actually work and be cost effective.

The Democrats, blinded by ideology, are too stupid to see a win/win solution.

[Red in Blue PA]

Where do all of these liberal loons think the energy is coming from? Heaven? Wait....they don’t believe in that.

[DannyTN]

"We would most likely have to do business with Hugo Chavez lackey Evo Morales of Bolivia, where half of the world’s proven stores of lithium reside. Even if we didn’t buy directly from the leftist leader, Morales has the ability to set the global price — just as Saudi Arabia and OPEC do with oil."

That should put a damper on enthusiasm for Lithium batteries.

I agree whole heartedly with IBD's call for Nuclear power.

Don't rule out hydrogen as an alternative for Lithium batteries. Hydrogen wouldn't be dependent on any other country. And either Hydrogen or non-lithium batteries could provide us the energy independence we need to keep the next oil price shock from derailing our economy again.