The environmental credentials for electric cars are pretty poor compared to petrol cars for those who don't do a lot of milage.
Looking at emmissions as well, electric cars are not really that clean either - they are significantly heavier than petrol cars and they generate a lot of wear on tyres & brake pads as well as on the roads themselves, leading to more dust generated than we are led to believe. There is a decent article on this here:
Then there is the carbon emmissions from the power they use. Most power genereated around the world still comes from burning fuel so the electricity used to power them comes with its own carbon overhead.
Yes there are benefits of lower HSO2 and some particulates (mostly from diesel) but if you weigh in the cost of mining / processing / shipping the battery materials then they take many years to overtake conventional petrol cars in their carbon neutrality.
And then there is the cost of disposing of the batteries at the end - significantly more toxic than recycling a petrol car.
People here have talked about the issues of accessing charging points and as most people in cities where electric cars are most beneficial, cannot get their own point as they lack a driveway.
Oh and don't mention the capacity of the electrical grid to be able to supply the power to charge all these vehicles - it just isn't there and there are not nearly enough power stations planned to supply this.
My conclusion - a decent concept but the technology and infrastructure are still decades away from making it a sensible reality. I will go with a hybrid n the meantime as it offers the benefits without the drawbacks.
The environmental credentials for electric cars are pretty poor compared to petrol cars for those who don't do a lot of milage.
Looking at emmissions as well, electric cars are not really that clean either - they are significantly heavier than petrol cars and they generate a lot of wear on tyres & brake pads as well as on the roads themselves, leading to more dust generated than we are led to believe. There is a decent article on this here:
Then there is the carbon emmissions from the power they use. Most power genereated around the world still comes from burning fuel so the electricity used to power them comes with its own carbon overhead.
Yes there are benefits of lower HSO2 and some particulates (mostly from diesel) but if you weigh in the cost of mining / processing / shipping the battery materials then they take many years to overtake conventional petrol cars in their carbon neutrality.
And then there is the cost of disposing of the batteries at the end - significantly more toxic than recycling a petrol car.
People here have talked about the issues of accessing charging points and as most people in cities where electric cars are most beneficial, cannot get their own point as they lack a driveway.
Oh and don't mention the capacity of the electrical grid to be able to supply the power to charge all these vehicles - it just isn't there and there are not nearly enough power stations planned to supply this.
My conclusion - a decent concept but the technology and infrastructure are still decades away from making it a sensible reality. I will go with a hybrid n the meantime as it offers the benefits without the drawbacks.
