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If a country relies only on oil and gas for electricity, are EVs any better than petrol-powered cars as far as emissions go?
by hntrader 6y ago
If a country relies only on oil and gas for electricity, are EVs any better than petrol-powered cars as far as emissions go?
- ChuckMcM 6y agoYes. If all your cars get the maximum use out of the energy in the petroleum and you provide atmospheric pollution controls on the power plants that eliminate smog/particulates then you have a net win, even if your total energy from petroleum doesn't change.
- mprovost 6y agoAnd you can locate power plants away from population centres so the pollution isn't being generated right outside homes and schools.
- jtaillon 6y agoYes, see this plot from IEA: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/comparative-life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-emissions-over-ten-year-lifetime-of-an-average-mid-size-car-by-powertrain-2018 https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/comparative-l... This is as of 2018, and one would expect that the grid will continue to get cleaner as time goes on, which means the BEV options will get cleaner as well.
- nightfly 6y agoYes, because ICE efficiency is so bad you'd still probably reduce emissions caused by mover vehicle use by 30-40%.
- gumby 6y agoEven in that case, yes, as large plants generate power more efficiently and more cleanly than a bunch of smaller power plants (i.e. engines). However the major power grids are no longer 100% fossil fuels.
- amznthrwaway 6y agoYes, dramatically so. ICE are low efficiency and disburse pollution broadly.
- theshrike79 6y agoThe main point is that emissions are produced in the power plant, not outside your house.