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>An EV is already cleaner burning coal than a petrol vehicle That is a patently ridiculous claim. The most efficient coal power stations approach 50% thermal

>An EV is already cleaner burning coal than a petrol vehicle That is a patently ridiculous claim. The most efficient coal power stations approach 50% thermal efficiency. Near 15% of that is lost in power line transmission, and another 15% or so in EV charging cycle losses. Modern diesels approach 40% thermal efficiency. Also, this completely ignores one of the main benefits of EVs - that is, externalising emissions and pollution away from the point of use.

toomuchtodo 4y ago
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-15/electric-cars-seen-getting-cleaner-even-where-grids-rely-on-coal https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-15/electric-... > Electric Cars Are Cleaner Even When Powered by Coal > Emissions from EVs 40% lower than gasoline cars, BNEF says Researcher expects difference to grow as clean energy expands > That’s the conclusion of research by BloombergNEF, which found carbon dioxide emissions from battery-powered vehicles were about 40 percent lower than for internal combustion engines last year. https://thedriven.io/2019/12/09/are-evs-cleaner-than-ice-coal-grid/ https://thedriven.io/2019/12/09/are-evs-cleaner-than-ice-coa... https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/the-climate-change-mitigation-potential-of-electric-vehicles-as-a-function-of-renewable-energy https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/the-climate-change-mit...
- antisinguIarity 4y ago
  The article you linked makes my point: "an average ICE vehicle will emit around 69 metric tonnes in its lifetime. But an EV, in a state like Wyoming which is almost completely powered by coal, will only produce 66 metric tonnes if the vehicle is made by a manufacturer using a grid that is 13% renewables (the US national average)." My back-of-the-envelope maths shows that fuelling an EV from a coal power source results in about the same thermal efficiency, and thus about the same CO2 emissions, as a modern diesel. Those published numbers show the same thing. I thought saving the planet required truly drastic reductions in CO2 output?

toomuchtodo 4y ago

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-15/electric-cars-seen-getting-cleaner-even-where-grids-rely-on-coal https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-15/electric-... > Electric Cars Are Cleaner Even When Powered by Coal > Emissions from EVs 40% lower than gasoline cars, BNEF says Researcher expects difference to grow as clean energy expands > That’s the conclusion of research by BloombergNEF, which found carbon dioxide emissions from battery-powered vehicles were about 40 percent lower than for internal combustion engines last year. https://thedriven.io/2019/12/09/are-evs-cleaner-than-ice-coal-grid/ https://thedriven.io/2019/12/09/are-evs-cleaner-than-ice-coa... https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/the-climate-change-mitigation-potential-of-electric-vehicles-as-a-function-of-renewable-energy https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/the-climate-change-mit...

antisinguIarity 4y ago
The article you linked makes my point: "an average ICE vehicle will emit around 69 metric tonnes in its lifetime. But an EV, in a state like Wyoming which is almost completely powered by coal, will only produce 66 metric tonnes if the vehicle is made by a manufacturer using a grid that is 13% renewables (the US national average)." My back-of-the-envelope maths shows that fuelling an EV from a coal power source results in about the same thermal efficiency, and thus about the same CO2 emissions, as a modern diesel. Those published numbers show the same thing. I thought saving the planet required truly drastic reductions in CO2 output?