Quote:
Originally Posted by litxus
While there isn't so much info about electric cars and their impacts, I'm pretty sure it is much better than ICE. And remember for ICE you need to factor in the cost of all points from A to B, from oil extraction to environmental disasters, pipeline leaks, pollution, air and so on...
|
It is true that a proper environmental assessment of ICE should include all those points. But it's also true of EVs and the reliance on coal to provide the electricity necessary to charge them. Nothing (not even fracking) is more destructive environmentally than mountain top removal mining which is now a significant source of US coal production. Not that other mining is environmentally safe, but MTR is an unmitigated environmental disaster. Beyond that you have all the emissions from the power plants that burn coal to charge all these electric vehicles. Given how bad coal pollutes, it is entirely conceivable that mass adoption of electric vehicles in most US population centres would increase carbon emissions, not reduce them.
Until there's credible research into the subject, WTF are we doing?