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Electric Cars Emit 50 Percent Less Greenhouse Gas Than Diesel, Study Finds (theguardian.com)
entirely_fluffy shares a report from The Guardian: Electric cars emit significantly less greenhouse gases over their lifetimes than diesel engines even when they are powered by the most carbon intensive energy, a new report has found. In Poland, which uses high volumes of coal, electric vehicles produced a quarter less emissions than diesels when put through a full lifecycle modeling study by Belgium's VUB University. CO2 reductions on Europe's cleanest grid in Sweden were a remarkable 85%, falling to around one half for countries such as the UK. The new study uses an EU estimate of Poland's emissions -- at 650gCO2/kWh -- which is significantly lower than calculations by the European commission's Joint Research Centre science wing last year. The VUB study says that while the supply of critical metals -- lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite -- and rare earths would have to be closely monitored and diversified, it should not constrain the clean transport transition. As battery technology improves and more renewables enter the electricity grid, emissions from battery production itself could be cut by 65%, the study found.
Where's the link to the Guardian article? I want to read it...
Also, let's compare keeping an old Japanese gasoline 4-cylinder for 25 years rather than some diesels. I'm on years 19 and 11 with mine, and neither show any signs of dying soon. And they get better mileage than most of the new models from both of their manufacturers.
I suppose ending is better than mending though, good thing we crushed metric shit-tons of perfectly usable already manufactured (the carbon-cost to make them was already sunk) cars under the guise of environmentalism to prop up the auto industry during the recession.
Unfortunately batteries are only about 80-90% efficient (lifetime average), electricity transmission is around 90% (allowing for max/min usage transitions), and the generation of the electricity is about 60% efficient.
and no, an electric drivetrain has only a small advantage over an IC drivetrain unless you have wheel motors-which no one does - probably in the region of 10% better.
Now, static generation Is more efficient that an IC motor, by around 20%.
So, if you are talking about hydrocarbon power for both, electric has 2 additional losses (batteries, transmission) which acount for around 20% loss, but IC is about 30% lower from the motor and drivetrain.
So we are talking about 10% or so difference.
HOWEVER, if the power is from nuclear (and no, solar/wind are not going to produce enough for a nation scale car fleet any time soon) then electric is HUGELY better for CO2 - but not if it is coal/gas electricity..
HOWEVER++ they are talking diesels. DIESEL ENGINES ARE ACTUALLY GREENHOUSE NEGATIVE!
WTF you say? Well they produce NO (which is what everyone complains about). That reacts with atmospheric methane and removes it! methane is thousands of times worse as a greenhouse gas than CO2. The net effect of your average diesel car is a LOWERING of the atmospheric greenhouse gas effect!
So, what we need to battle greenhouse effect are more nuclear power stations, and more diesels!
Sorry, facts are so inconvenient, aint they..