Comments on: Electric Cars May Pollute More than Gas Models: Study

By: SteveEV

SteveEV — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:21:00 +0000

I installed solar collectors on my garage roof that now generate my transportation fuel. Can’t get more local than that.

By: Falco

Falco — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:58:00 +0000

You don’t fart? watch out since South Park shows people will blow up if they hold their farts.

By: SteveEV

SteveEV — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 03:11:00 +0000

Hardly. Those batteries are far too valuable to throw away. I expect to use them far a home backup power system or sell them to a recycler when thy have finished serving my transportation needs. Meanwhile I have already stopped burning gas. The money I save supports our local economy. The air is cleaner in my driveway. Since I generate my own electricity the air is cleaner towards the power plant as well. Every car requires energy to manufacture. Most require even more to operate. That generally translates into a significant toxic contribution to the air we breathe. I prefer a different arrangement.

By: ATR72_captain

ATR72_captain — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:36:00 +0000

you have no idea where the oil comes from that you buy. the fueling stations get their fuel all from the same place. then they add their own additives in to make it the product they advertise.

By: Atr72_captain

Atr72_captain — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:34:00 +0000

sorry but your wrong, the batteries you have in your leaf took energy to produce and they are gonna take energy to dispose of their toxic chemicals when their service life is complete so you only lie to yourself

By: Jean-Charles Jacquemin

Jean-Charles Jacquemin — Mon, 28 May 2012 21:53:00 +0000

An Electric car does not pollute.!!! Electric power plant pollutes more or less. From which pervert conception does a non emiting car emits something ??

By: Michael Heffron

Michael Heffron — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:39:00 +0000

My Chevy Volt is 100% solar powered. The Nissan Leaf can be solar powered just as easily. I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out that solution. Are there any real scientists in the Union of Concerned Scientists?

By: The Cat

The Cat — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:44:00 +0000

If you took the time to actually read the studies from the UCS, you’d see that your headline is completely wrong, and does NOT agree with the UCS reports at all. Bad reporting, boys and girls. As we get better and better at producing clean energy, EVs will also get cleaner and cleaner. Check out
http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/16/ucs-no-matter-where-you-live-driving-electric-saves-money-emi/

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-16/electric-cars-cost-1-200-a-year-less-to-run-study-says

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-electric-vehicles-20120416,0,5852349.story

By: InigoMontoya6

InigoMontoya6 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:17:00 +0000

I wish they would stop with the pessimistic slant on these types of reviews. I know its for ratings but as others have pointed out, its not accurate and IMHO only serves to generate negative talk on what passes for “news” these days. EVs should be evaluated from pump to wheel rather than well to wheel…and everyone should get panels on their roof to distribute/localize energy production. Separate studies can be done to evaluate well to pump which is a separate (yet related) issue. And most importantly, as some others have mentioned, even if EVs were only equal to current gas solutions, they shift reliance to domestically created energy rather than imported.

By: Patrick Connor

Patrick Connor — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:28:00 +0000

With an EV, you can choose how you fuel it. Clean or not, it is up to you, either way it is American made fuel. Guess what, oil refineries use electricity, a lot of it. EVs just cut out this middle man. The grid is getting cleaner as more wind turbines are put up. Oil is only getting dirtier as heavier crude is pumped from deeper sources.

By: PaulScott58

PaulScott58 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:42:00 +0000

It’s time the media got on the right side of this issue. This whole “which is cleaner, the EV or the gas burner” issue has been viewed from the wrong end of the binoculars.

You assume stasis in a given utility’s grid mix, when a cursory study of the electrical grid would indicate otherwise. The direction energy providers are going is clearly toward renewables. Since Obama became President, we’ve reduced coal’s percentage of the national grid mix from 53% to today’s 39%. All it took was for the EPA to be told to enforce laws already on the books. That, and a severe recession that reduced demand.

Since Steven Chu has been in charge of the Energy Dept., there has been a rapid growth in renewables. In the past 3 years we’ve installed over 27 GW of wind and 3 GW of solar on the U.S. grid. That’s enough renewable energy to power 25 million EVs! The adoption of plug-in cars will be vastly outpaced by the renewable energy being added to the grid.

The extraction and refining of oil uses more electricity and natural gas than any industry in California with the exception of pumping vast quantities of water hundreds of miles and over mountains. Once enough plug-in cars replace gas burners, we’ll start seeing refineries close. These are the most polluting industrial complexes in the U.S. They are directly responsible for thousands of deaths from the pollution they generate. The faster we transition to EVs, the faster we close refineries.

Going back to the original story line of whether an EV was more polluting than an internal combustion car, in essence, this is a question of how aware the customer is. If anyone is truly concerned about pollution from coal generated electricity, all you need to do is enroll in your utility’s renewable energy program, or install solar panels. That choice is, and has been, yours to make for a long time. If you don’t think cars should run on dirty energy, then your house shouldn’t either.

By: SteveEV

SteveEV — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:25:00 +0000

When I say my carbon footprint is zero, I mean zero. I installed solar collectors on my garage to power my house and car. Half the other LEAF drivers I know have done the same. If a car buyer is concerned about fuel costs, look at an electric vehicle. If a car buyer is concerned about pollution, look at an electric vehicle. If a car buyer is concerned about long-term maintenance costs, look at an electric vehicle. If a car buyer is concerned about improving the local economy, look at an electric vehicle. If a car buyer is concerned about national security and oil shortages, look at an electric vehicle.