David Lamb from CSIRO sees air quailty and emissions benefits from plug-ins
Plug-in electric vehicles have been a hot topic lately, due in part to legislation which is currently being debated in Washington. Many theories about hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and full electric vehicles are being considered as well. All of this debating might bring you to wonder just what the benefits of plugging in your car versus filling up your car. Wonder no more! Here are a few articles which let all of us in on just what we as a society could gain by choosing to use electricity for transportation as much as possible and leaving the fossil fuels out of the equation.
If you just don't feel like reading the entire study, here is a condensed article from Drive which cites David Lamb, leader of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO) low-emission transport group. This article appears to back up what the previous article shows. Dr. Lamb goes on to point out that consumers could generate their own electricity in green ways such as solar and wind power, not using the grid whatsoever.
If both of those are just too much to think about, here are the CliffsNotes: Plug-in hybrids will equal better air quality and reduced emissions, even when considered under the worst-case scenarios of using coal to make the electricity using the currently required emissions requirements. The view only gets rosier when you throw in the effects of solar, wind, tidal and other green power sources. In conclusion, bring on the plugs!
[Source: EPRI-NRDC, Green Car Congress and Drive]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TG 1:38PM (7/21/2007)
Great to have *official* backup for my ongoing debates in blogs and forums around the net.
Bookmark this post. This is excellent ammo for the fossil fuelers in the crowd.= TG
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stevejust 1:38PM (7/21/2007)
In an effort to preempt all the whiners who are going to say, diesel this or diesel that, let me be the first to say, bring on the plug-in, biofuel compatible hybrids.
Why not have the best of BOTH worlds? I'd love it if Ford would release the REFL3X and warranty it for B100.
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kballs 2:53PM (7/21/2007)
It's always cleaner to have emissions from a regulated centralized source (power plant - even coal burning) than from millions of independent sources (cars). Add to that the fact that electric cars are at least 2x as energy efficient as ICE cars, and the fact that they would be mostly charged at night under base load power (not adding any significant extra emissions than are already released at night), and the fact that the generation can be highly diversified and partly or even mostly renewable, and you have much reduced emissions and environmental impact.
Plus electric and series hybrids use less mechanicals and petroleum fluids (differential fluid, transfer case fluid, transmission fluid, clutch fluid, power steering fluid, along with electrics using no engine oil or radiator fluid), and are easier to maintain.
Bring on the plug-ins!
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Nathan 11:43PM (7/21/2007)
TG: in the short term at least, we can burn fossil fuel in our tanks, or use energy from fossil fuels in the power grid that is currently just going to waste and not being used. In Australia, using that wasted power for transport not only reduces emissions, but also helps energy security for a region that has plentiful coal and uranium supplies but relatively little oil. Ideally we should be moving to completely renewable energy, but realistically that's unlikely to happen down here for half a century at least.
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