The German branch of the environmental group World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) has conducted a study… on the environmental impact of electric vehicles in Germany.
Just like the U.S., Germany has an ambitious goal of introducing electric vehicles. Germany, which today has 41 million cars, aims to have 1 million electric cars or plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2020. The conclusion of the study is that these electric cars only reduce greenhouse gases marginally.
The study, which was published in German in March, has not been widely circulated in English yet. The WWF Germany said a summary in English is set for publication this summer.
“What surprised us was that the carbon dioxide savings were so small,” Viviane Raddatz, vehicle expert at WWF Germany, said in a phone interview from Berlin.
The carbon dioxide emission reductions from these 1 million electrical vehicles in Germany’s transportation sector would be only 1 percent, according to the study, and overall national carbon dioxide emissions would only be cut by 0.1 percent. “That is not a very big deal,” Raddatz said, adding that “it is not going to help us out of the transportation emission mess.”
>Renewable energy was not considered in the study.
Still having trouble with reading comprehension, I see. Try reading a little slower next time, with a dictionary to look up big words.
I understand all the words perfectly, I just figured something needed to be said about her.
# 15 Jägermeister said, “You can create as much as you need. Try that with oil.”
Umm, sure. It’s called synthetic fuel, ethanol, alcohol, etc., etc. It always amuses me to listen to eco nuts and note how little science they know.
Renewable energy was ___not___ considered in the study.
You bunch of morons!
http://betterplace.com and other electric car projects are going to use 100% only renewable energy. That is, charging from wind during the night (when wind power otherwise go unused) and charging from wind power and solar panels during the day.
Wind and solar power is FREE after about 5 years after the installation. That is based on current coal power prices. So anyone not investing in wind and solar for powering electric cars is a MORON.
#24 Imagine if you could snap your fingrs and magically turn all the cars in the country from gas-guzzling to clean electric.
For one it would completely wipe out our dependency on foreign oil.
It would be a disaster – we simply do not have the infrastructure to produce enough electricity to power these cars.
You make up an unrealistic hypothetical, and then point out how stupid it is?
You could build 1000s of power stations – which burn oil, gas, or coal – but then all that’s happened is the pollution has been moved around slightly.
Point in fact: the amount of oil needed to run cars is about TWICE the oil needed to generate electricity to run electric cars on a per mile basis. Cars are actually horrible inefficient means of transportation generating friction (aka wasted energy) in too many ways. Electric motors can generate quite a lot more torque than internal combustion engines. This is why the modern train locomotive runs on electricity, using diesel engines to generate the electricity. Its more efficient that way. Trains are significantly more fuel efficient than cars.
I know – we’ll use solar, wind and hydro – except there isn’t enough land area in the U.S. to provide enough power, the wind isn’t consistent enough, and hydro assumes we have 1000s of rivers to dam up – which we don’t have. Plus the concrete used to build a dam produces more green-house gases than all the cars in the country.
Where the hell did you get that info. Point in fact if we lined the west coast with wind turbines, we would generate enough electricity to power the entire US.
The amount of land needed to power the US with solar energy is about the size of Phoenix, using thermal solar plants which are about twice as efficient as photo-voltaics, but you cant put it on your roof.
But let’s pretend we fix all that through some fantastic new technology – so we have quiet, energy-efficient, pollution-free cars. All stuck bumper-to-bumper in the same traffic jam we’re in now.
Now this I totally agree with!
#35 – ArianeB – Cars are actually horrible inefficient means of transportation generating friction (aka wasted energy) in too many ways.
Here’s a good illustration.
#31, Lyin’ Mike,
So what is your point? No no !!! Not the one on top of your head.
Read post #21, ijit.
#35, Arriane,
Very good, well made points.
#36, Jag,
Good pic.
You both do realize that you are either preaching to the choir or the wall. But I always appreciate learning some new tidbit I didn’t know.
Here, one each
🙂 🙂
Oopps, one didn’t work, here it is again,
🙂
#38 – Mr. Fusion
No problem. 🙂
This study is so rife with poor assumptions that I’m convinced it couldn’t have been published in a peer reviewed journal. Assuming that future electric cars will be powered by the worst of the current crop of coal powered plants is utterly asinine.
Now, if they have framed the question properly, this data could be of use. For instance, it does call attention to the neat for decentralized renewable electricity generation and better load leveling in the system.
The book by George Friedman I’ve mentioned in previous weeks suggests that ‘beaming’ power from space-orbiting solar collectors (or something along those lines) back to Earth would provide an answer to the issue of growing energy demand. It’s more plausible than trying to line the coasts with wind turbines, Lord knows well-to-do enviros on their estates would bitch about them obstructing the view…oh wait, some have already, on the East Coast. Ted Kennedy. I suspect Al would have a problem, too, if his property was beachfront.
Correct me if I am wrong but the article says if 1 million out of the 41 million cars in Germany were electric it would reduce carbon emissions by 1%. (if the study is indeed correct)
Logic (which is hard to find on this blog) would lead one to conclude that if all 41 million cars in Germany were electric that would result in a 41% reduction in carbon emissions. (again if this study is correct)
If that electricity happens to come from wind/solar/hydro/geo-thermal or other renewable sources then the results would be even better.
Conservative or liberal, believer in global warming or not, fanatic or moderate, no matter how you slice it I fail to see how this is a bad thing.
Wait, using electricity to run an engine gives of the same type of CO as burning fossil fuel? Wow where have i been?
The Toyota hybrid Camry only gets two MPG better mileage on the highway, but 10 MPG better in the city. If I recall correctly, some large cities are moving toward requiring all taxis be hybrids. That could save a lot, in gas and CO2 as well as reduce pollution in the cities.
“The reason is because they are expecting people to charge their cars when they come home from work, and this is a peak”
And that’s an easy problem to solve. Some power companies have programs that will turn off home air conditioners during summer peaks (for a price break). A similar program could be done for electric car charging stations. Or regulate that the cars be programmed to not charge from 4pm-7pm unless overridden by the driver.
As opposed to every new non-green car raising the percentage.
Isn’t a drop a good thing, because more cars are on the road than ever, and china and india are ready to boom in terms of car ownership.
If electric cars/plug-in hybrids are not that green as we thought, then what would be another option for the automakers?