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 ...
When you see someone with a hybrid or electric car you should say, “Nice ride! Does she run on coal or nuclear?”
Beyond the WSJ Mr. Lomborg’s views will never be published by the Obama media.
About Bjorn Lomborg
Dr. Bjorn Lomborg researches the smartest ways to improve the environment and the world. He is one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century according to Esquire magazine, and one of the 50 people who could save the planet according to the UK Guardian. Lomborg has repeatedly been named one of Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers.
they have another filthy secret and that was told to me by my kid’s shop teacher o parent’s night:
the batteries are so powerful they can electrocute a mechanic, therefore the kids were not going to be working on them, but would work on the shop teacher’s Porsche.
“... Ah, I see, you’ve got one of those new coal cars!”
I’ve tried saying it. It produces dumbfounded looks of confusion.
And, he’s still a “greenie”. But at least he tells the truth (as he sees it) with usually a lot of research done to support his position. Thinkin’ he isn’t one of the eco-wackos favorite people anymore. Or maybe hasn’t been for quite a while because he speaks the truth. Of course it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure the charging energy for your prius gotta come from someplace. Or your chevy volt or whatever hybrid you choose. Me? Filled the Ram up yesterday and figured the mileage. 15mpg of plant lovin’ emissions to help feed my plant friends so they can make us some more oxygen. Hey, just doin’ my part to counter algores noxious spewage.
My diesel has a range of 800 miles at a steady 70mph and takes about 5 minutes to fully "recharge" at any one of about 50,000 "charging stations" in the country.And it cost much,*much* less than $80K.
We’ve also heard some nightmare stories this winter. Batteries don’t like cold.
Liberalism isn’t about reality,
it’s about how it makes the individual liberal feel about himself.
Well, if its a nuke, then it really IS green energy!
Good summary
Break light. LOL
Hybrids run on gasoline. Good, thought-provoking question about electrics though.
Did the promoter call it “Break” Light on the second illustration?
Freud lives.
If you are thinking electric car, think Golf Cart. Works great in Florida (warm and flat), locally.
The greatest success of the AlGoreian global warming idiots is the successful re-definition of carbon dioxide (a gas essential to life on Earth) as a “pollutant.”
It was a “secret” only to those with liberal arts degrees.
For those of us who are engineers, it was apparent from the first doodle on a napkin.
Duh.
Life is a never-ending tragedy for those who refuse to use mathematics to evaluate choices in life.
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