So if electric cars are a gimmick, how can we cut transport pollution?

Question

What about alcohol fuelled cars as their furl is derived from renewacle sources?

Answer 1

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Electric cars aren't a gimmick. They could be the answer to pollution, if people accept them - and can stop listening to oil company propoganda.
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Gasoline engines are only 25% efficient. Ethanol fuel burns in the same inefficient internal combustion engine. Electric motors are 95% efficient, and the power grid is 95% efficient, too. Combine this with the fact that fuel is burned far more efficiently in a powerplant than in your car. This means that even if powerplants burned nothing but petroleum, the energy would be used far more efficiently in an electric car, than that same gasoline in your gas engine. Higher efficiency means less fuel burned per mile, hence less pollution.
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But the story is better than that, because almost no oil is burned in powerplants anymore. And an increasing percentage of electricity is coming from clean sources. So the pollution will continue to decrease with time.
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Better batteries are already here. See the Tesla:
http://www.teslamotors.com
And the Miles XS200
http://www.milesautomotive.com/products_xs200.html
Both these cars get better than 200 miles to the charge, and cars with 350 mile and even longer ranges have been built experimentally.
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Answer 2

Well, if we stopped using diesel today you would save over 25,000 lives just in the next year.

The most efficient car you can buy is a Smart. I get an average of 65MPG and a peak of 78 MPG out of a petrol, also the engine runs so clean it doesnt have a catalytic converter - Stick that in your tailpipe, Prius.

Or you could walk/cycle. Avoid anyting with a electric motor, they are not as efficient or reliable as some people make out.

Answer 3

The argument is that when the battery is flat we have to recharge and that sucks up energy again. But i think a duel engine and battery car is achievable, the engine turns a generator and charges the battery up and then you can switch over and save cash, trouble is the whole petrol thing is rigged up for oil companies and car manufacturers. Even the Iraq war is all about oil. Farmers are now growing crops that can be used as fuel, hope that works.

Answer 4

They aren't a gimmick. They can be very successful in places where there is sufficient quantity and quality of daylight to keep the battery charged. They were scrapped because of pressure from the very powerful US oil lobby which foresaw a great loss in their profits if the electric car became too successful.

Answer 5

are they a gimmick, i dont think so nor are solar cars or dual fuel cars, we could cut transport pollution by only allowing red headed people under 4 feet to drive, or we could find a alternative to driving
cars that burn fossil fuels or thier derivitives, every driven a land yacht?

Answer 6

I run a hybrid Honda Civic, it isn't too bad, the co2 emmisions are below the minimum on the tax chart, so you get an extra 1% below the lowest company car tax rate.

Answer 7

The technology already works well, just that the big oil companies don't want us to have them.
If we did who would need the Saudis who own a big % of the USA economy and loads of oil.

Answer 8

Try walking.. It's healthier and the polution levels will go down as a result..Or ride a push bike ..In amsterdam u will see the cycle is king and they have it sussed completely over there..

Answer 9

i think roller skates could take on a really good image in the way forward as a form of transport

Answer 10

they aren't a gimmick and work very well , just don't have the technology yet to be a long term solution