how do electrics cars decrease the carbon in the air?

Question

i know that they don't produce any exhaust fumes but what else?

Answer 1

Carbon dioxide is a biproduct of the combustion of gasoline. Internal combustion engines are not terribly efficient, so they release quite a bit of CO2.

Electric cars use electric engines which are much more efficient than internal combustion engines. They get their energy from the power grid, which does produce carbon dioxide (mostly from carbon burning power plants), but because it's a more efficient system, electric vehicles produce fewer carbon emissions than gas burning vehicles.

If you were able to recharge the electric car with purely renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.), it would produce no carbon emissions whatsoever.

Answer 2

An electric motor can be used as a motor or an electrical generator. When you step on the breaks in a hybrid, instead of slowing the car with conventional brakes. the forward momentum of the car turns the wheels and the generator to make electricity which is stored in a battery. Then the energy stored in the battery is used to start the car moving forward again, thus saving on petrochemical fuel. When the battery runs low on energy, the system switches over to the internal combustion engine we know of. If we were driving in a mountainess area, the downhill rides would all be used to generate power for battery storage. Since we are burning less fuel, we are emitting less carbon monoxide and other by-products.

In an all electric car, the pollution occurs back at the power plant where the electricity is generated.

Carbon monoxide is the result of incomplete burning. It would be interesting if someone would develop an engine in which the carbon monoxide could be recycled to burn this product to produce carbon dioxide. This would produce more energy, and make more of a product which is a part of the food manufacturing process which occurs in all green plant life.

Answer 3

An electric car does not reduce carbon in the air.

While there are no exhaust fumes from the car, there are exhausts from power stations. The manufacture of solar panels produces carbon, building nuclear geothermic and hydro power stations all produce carbon.

Why they are better than a standard car is that they produce less carbon than standard cars. (not none)

Most of the improvement is from the fact that when the vehicle is slowing the energy is recaptured and put back into the battery.

Electricity is produced from many sources many of which produce heaps less carbon than burning fossil fuels. If an electric car is charged from just coal fired power stations the carbon producted per distance is just a little higher than that of a similar hybrid car. If charged from things like a wind or hydro generator the carbon realeased per distance is very small indeed (a percentage of manufacture and lubrication)

Even riding a bicycle produces carbon. You absorb oxygen when you breath in and emit CO2 when you breath out.

The things that do most of the reducing of carbon in the air are plants, plankton and algee.

It is important that we reduce the amount of carbon we produce because currently we produce more than nature can clean up.

Answer 4

The simple answer is that it does not burn fuel: so, there is no smoke emitted. But in the Philippines, the GREENPEACE project charge the battery of electric cars from the power produce by gensets fueled by methane gas pruduced by a digester which convert garbage to fuel. Isn't it more innovative? It does not only reduce carbon in the air but also reduce garbage. Burning methane gas is more complete than burning oil and produces less carbon monoxide in the air.

Answer 5

Infernal combustion engines (ice) in cars are small, rareley run at optimum temperature or load, 2/3rds of their energy goes in heat, are complicated to maintain.

Electric power plants are constantly monitored and maintained for efficiency, can have suitable emmission filters, and can re-use the "waste" heat. And in the laws of thermodynamics the bigger the better.
Also they use unrefined fuel, from close to source, so no tankers or pipelines. The distribution grid is 90% efficient direct to home or work.
or you could have your own micro-generator.

Battery vehicles would also help manage the load on the grid, which is essential as we move to renewable energy sources.
A car that stores enough energy for 250 miles but only does 25 a day has a lot of spare capacity http://www.acpropulsion.com/technology/v2g.htm

Modern batteries use less polluting material than a fossil fuel car exaust, gearbox, coolant etc, and have a very long life and can be completely recycled http://www.altairnano.com/markets.html

Electric vehicles are just more pleasent to drive, smooth, quiet, smell free. Maximum torque from 0rpm from cold.
fewer moving parts = Lower maintenance

Answer 6

The Electric car does lower pollution in the city. The pollution is moved to the power plant producing the electrical power. If that plant is Nuclear or Solar (Not Fossil fuel), then it reduces CO2 in the air.

Answer 7

It is a bit doubtful that electric cars decrease CO2 in the air. Yup, they don't produce CO2 as axhaust fumes; but to generate electricity fuel will be used and thus CO2 will be emmited. Hmmm.... I think researches should be done to know whether electric cars will make us better off in term of CO2.

Answer 8

electric cars do not contribute emissions in the atmosphere! in fact, they just use the energy stored in the batteries! each time you step on the gas pedal, you actually step on the electric controller which controls the current in the engine!
electric cars belong to zero emission cars so they do not contribute harmful gases!
you just need to charge the car at the end of the day so that you can cruise the way you want!

Answer 9

They are cleaner in the street when using them but when charging them up it is what fumes are being created by the local power plant that offers power to your area.

Answer 10

I agree with all the other answers but one thing they haven't mentioned is that electric motors which contain brushes do emit a small amount of ozone.