Are electric cars truly environmentally friendly?

Question

Where does the power for electric cars come from? Is it more efficient to burn coal at an electric plant and transmit electrivity over hundreds of miles of wire or to burn hydrocarbons locally in an internal combustion engine?

Answer 1

Electric cars are a very good and important alternative to fossil fuel powered cars. There are a couple of problems with electric cars, one of which you mention.

Electric cars use electricity for fuel. Electricity is generated in several different ways including fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. Two other major sources generate electricity nuclear and hydroelectric. There are a number of much smaller sources as well: geothermal, wind, solar electric etc.

Of these most of our electricity is generated by fossil sources, all of which generate pollution. Coal is especially bad for pollution generating the most CO2 and surprisingly the most radiation as well. Coal is our single biggest way of generating electricity.

Nuclear power also generates a lot of pollution in the mining and production of nuclear fuel and then there is a terrible problem of waste disposal, which must be safeguarded for several hundred thousand years.

Hydroelectric generates very little pollution but does have significantly negative impacts on river ecosystems and fish such as salmon that spawn in rivers.

The other alternative energy sources are much less polluting. Wind and Solar are especially good in terms of pollution. Both are new comers to the utility industry and both are growing very fast.

Because much of our electricity is generated with fossil fuels electric cars are not pollution free. Because electrical generators are large centralized plants it is relatively easier to upgrade them to have better pollution controls. All new power plants are much cleaner than the average plant so electricity is getting cleaner. Renewable energy solutions like wind and solar power both generate electricity so electric cars benefit from the ultra-clean new sources.

A closely related type of car, the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is also a very exciting alternative. It shares the long range that fossil fuel cars have with the cleanliness of electric cars.

A pure electric car will not have a great driving range right now because batteries do not store that much energy. The best electric cars have about 150 mile range making them OK for commuting but not so good as a general purpose car. Also it takes quite a while to recharge an electric car so if you drive somewhere and have to recharge you might have to wait around for a few hours before you can drive again.

The PHEV has none of those problems. The battery pack is small with about a 50 mile range, but it also caries gasoline or even better ethanol and can go 500 or more miles using the liquid fuel. Because most driving trips are under 50 miles it uses electricity most of the time and therefore gets extremely good mileage. People have converted Priuses to run this way and can get between 80 and 250 miles per gallon.

Eventually we probably will all drive electric vehicles.

Answer 2

The idea that electric cars just move pollution over to the powerplant is called the "long tailpipe" theory, and it has been shown to be much less of a concern than many people imagine.

Electric cars create much less pollution due to their vastly superior efficiency, even taking powerplant emissions into account. Gasoline engines are extremely inefficient (less than 25%), and don't forget the energy costs associated with refining and transporting oil.

By contrast, electric motors, batteries, and power transmission systems all have efficiencies around 90%. Even the dreaded coal-fired powerplants are nearly 40% efficient.

All the facts and numbers are on this page:

http://www.electroauto.com/info/pollmyth.shtml

To summarize, if you start with 1,000,000 BTUs of energy, you can travel 183 miles in a gas auto, or 530 miles in an electric vehicle. The vast improvement in energy efficiency means that even if you made ALL your energy with polluting sources, you would still come out way ahead with an EV.

But of course, all of our electricity isn't made that way. Much is made from hydro, solar, nuclear and wind. So the reduction in pollution is even greater.

Answer 3

They're definately not much better than regular cars unless you put requirements on all kinds of really high priced electricity (wind, solar, geo). Nuclear has problems, coal has problems. Emmission control systems can help coal plants, but so can highly efficient small gas, ethanol or LP engines.

Answer 4

What "Engineer" said...

and...

Doesn't the batteries that charge have ACID in them?!
NO that's not 100% eco-safe/friendly ...

But I'de rather have an Electric Vehicle then a Hydragin or Hybrid or gas...

Better yet, I WANT A DESIL TRUCK so I can pump it full of Bio Desil and reuse my cookin' oil LOL for like 70 cents per gallon (home made 70 cents, it's $3.25 at regular gas / bio stations)

Just to let you know, Bio Desil isn't 100% either, it's close... but it uses Lye ... EVIL Lye don't burn your self with it, it's bad for you to touch it... (makes me scared to attempt to make Bio Desil myself LOL)

If I was rich, I'd get a compressed air engine, and have solar pannels on the vehicle, have batterys to charge, and have Bio Desil for back up... ALL IN ONE Vehicle, no sun shine FINE I have a back up storage or a back up plan LOL, I say "ALL IN ONE" car LOL!!!

Answer 5

If you are controlling the pollution at the generating plant.. then there would be less pollution.. because people do not keep their cars tuned up either... so less efficient...

now.. how about someday... hydrogen/electric hybrid?

Answer 6

Ever hear of nuclear, water and wind energy?