🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2ib43b$lr5@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu>,
R S Rodgers <rsrodger@wam.umd.edu> wrote:
>In article <2i8sob$qb@cronkite.seas.gwu.edu>,
>Wael El-Sharif <waele@seas.gwu.edu> wrote:
>>I have to disagree, new cars are less of a problem than old cars. Electric
>>vehicles are much cleaner; granted the technology is not yet perfect but it
>>is getting there.
>
>
>	What makes you think EVs are cleaner?  They may be locally
>	cleaner (e.g., no local emissions, only battery-related pollution) 
>	but the charge in those batteries was produced at a power plant. 
>	It is unrealistic to seriously claim that most people will be recharging
>	their cars at night when "demands are less."  
>
>	We're going to have to build new power plants if EVs get anywhere. 
>	It's a fact of life.  Another fact: they're not going to be nice,
>	clean nuclear plants because the environmentalists have done a nice
>	job getting legislation enacted and spreading fear.  They're going
>	to be oil plants.  Coal plants.  Hydroelectric plants.  None of which
>	are as benign to the environment as the nuclear option.
>
>
>>  When EVs are commercialized the price will drop and 
>>with the on-going improvements in battery technology, performance will
>>improve leaving no excuses.
>
>
>	It depends on how you define "battery technology"--it's pretty unlikely
>	that current battery technologies will _ever_ evolve into something
>	that will make EVs of equal safety and performance to gasoline cars
>	possible.  Alternatives (e.g., flywheels) might do the trick, but 
>	then again, they might not.  
>
>
I also got a mail message discussing the same concern:

EVs are MUCH CLEANER even with the current technology. The following sample 
takes into account Gasoline Vehicles tale-pipe emissions in comparison with
power plant emissions at the current generation mix:

Emissions in lbs./MWH 
CO2 = 1,285
CO  = 0.230
N2O = 0.024

EVs cuurently require 0.35 kwh/mi

CO2 => EV emissions = 204 grams/mile 
compared to conventional vehicles at 456 g/m

CO  => EV emissions = 0.0366 grams/mile
compared to conventional vehicles at 17.66 g/m

* data is for passenger cars.

Sources: OECD, & EPA MOBILE 5a

That is CLEANER.  As for having to build new power plants, the answer is not
necessarily - at least not on a large scale.  Because of Demand Side 
Management (DSM), electric utilities in the U.S. have differed the need to
build about 54 medium size power plants. DSM aims at reducing peak demand
by offering incentives to customers to use more efficient electric equipment.
Should the need to build more plants arise, it will still be cleaner as
can be seen from the above figures.  At the power plants emissions are
controllable and are away from our homes.

As for "battery technology" look at the improvements over the past few month.
The government, auto manufacturers and electric utilities are spending 
significant amounts of money to speed up battery R&D. These funds were not
available before and hence there was not much innovation. Know things are
different. Electric vehicles will come to be whether we like it or not. The 
price will drop - simple economics, mass production.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wael M. El-Sharif              *** Opinions Expressed Are My Own ***
Consulting Engineer
Internet: waele@seas.gwu.edu  or  elshari@cap.gwu.edu

-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Wael M. El-Sharif              *** Opinions Expressed Are My Own ***
Consulting Engineer
Internet: waele@seas.gwu.edu  or  elshari@cap.gwu.edu