Plug-in cars are seen by many as the next big step in environmentally friendly automotive technology. Achieving maximum air quality improvements comes with two caveats a significant cut in the pollution produced by electric utilities and the large-scale adoption of plug-in hybrids, which may not be in new-car showrooms for the next several years. ( LA Times)
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« Carbon Critics Blast Planktos | Main | Go Johnny Go »
Plug It In, Cars to Cut C02 Emissions
Category: Energy • Transportation
Posted on: July 20, 2007 12:01 PM, by EJGili
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Comments
Wouldn't you use less carbon if you burned oil in your car's engine rather than burning it in a power plant and losing much of the energy to resistance in the transmission wires?
The article alludes to this, but needs to be more clear: until power companies cease to use coal, oil and gas, plug-in cars will actually increase carbon emissions. Unless you live in a hydro state...
Maybe plug-in hybrids used as capacitors to avoid power loss over time might help make plug-ins more helpful. But my amateur understanding of this issue does not fit with the claims made by that study!
Posted by: Thomas Robey | July 20, 2007 08:38 PM
I'm all for hybrids and electric cars. While I see much fascination with the subject, I have not yet seen anyone analyse the actual affect on CO2 emissions. If the electricity that goes into a new generation of cars comes from an old generation of coal-fired power plants. We don't come out ahead.
The absurdity of the new $120,000 Lexus hybrid is another (different) frustration. It gets 20 mpg. You can buy a non-hybrid that does 50% better for 80% less money.
Posted by: Trinifar | July 20, 2007 10:09 PM
Just did some searching, and google.org has some interesting calculations on their site.
http://www.google.org/recharge/dashboard/calculator
By their calculations, their plug-in Priuses (Prii?) come out ahead of regular cars in CO2e emissions per mile even using (California?) grid electricity.
The cool thing with switching to plug-ins is that while you can still beat a gas engine running from (at least partial) coal electricity, you can then work on diversifying the grid and working on a the whole suite of sources that can produce electricity. Trying to turn coal into liquids, biomass to liquids, various electricity to hydrogen, etc would probably come out worse in terms of CO2e/mile.
Posted by: BK | July 21, 2007 12:20 AM
Don't most hybrids get, at most, 4 mpg more? With most getting less?
On the other hand for driving around time then if one plugs your car in it might be quite good.
As you said this is more ideal for hydro states. However if enough people do this there will be more incentive for solar, wind and so forth rather than coal and oil.
Posted by: Clark Goble | July 21, 2007 12:20 AM
The way to close the loop would be to have a solar panels installed. The energy stored could probably power the hybrid car and also run household utilities. So then you're cutting down on CO2 emmissions and not relying on energy generated by coal- burning energy plants located hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Becoming more self-sufficient in the process. Personally, I think that's a great option.
Posted by: Enrique | July 21, 2007 12:31 PM