Electric Cars Are Not an Answer to Climate Change
Facts you don’t want to know about EVs
In the interest of full disclosure, I’m not anti-Electric Vehicles. And I’m not a climate change denier.
But those thinking that EVs are going to have any significant impact on climate change are letting emotion override logic.
Let’s look at what we do know.
For today’s power system in the United States, and nearly everywhere in the world, electric vehicles provide emissions benefits, but the extent of those benefits varies greatly by location. Achieving the full potential benefit of electric vehicles would require a grid that supplies all renewable or zero-carbon power, something that no area in the United States consistently achieves today. (Source)
We also know that fossil fuels are used to produce 64 percent of our current electric usage.
We know that fossil fuels are the cheapest and most efficient way to move something from point A to point B.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
What Would an EV Charging Station Look Like?
A typical gas station services about 2,000 automobiles during a twelve-hour shift.
To accomplish the same thing for EVs you would need to consider the following.
You could power 20,000 homes with the 600, 50-watt chargers needed.
Depending on the vehicle (including those that can’t take a rapid charge) it could take up to 30 minutes for those just topping off or up to 8 hours to recharge those that are near empty to a full charge.
The cost of this? Around $24 million.
To service the same 2,000 cars, it will take six times the square footage due to the charging time involved.
Will there be a waiting room within walking distance with snacks while you’re charging?
The United Kingdom Is Getting Ahead of the Curve
Beginning in June of this year the UK will turn off charging stations for EVs during peak hours to prevent brown outs for businesses.
Chargers will be set to not function during peak load hours of 8am to 11am and from 4pm to 10pm.
And here’s the real kicker. The UK can drain power from your EV is it’s needed for the grid.
You pull into your charging station and leave with less than you came in with.
Let’s Charge Your Car at Home
If you have an Elon Musk Tesla it will take a 75-amp service to charge it. The average home has a 100-amp service.
No problem, right? Plenty of power left to run your home.
If you’re the only home on your block.
The neighborhood grid might be able to handle three Tesla’s depending on household usage in your neighborhood.
If half the homes in your neighborhood have Tesla’s, the system could easily be overloaded and possibly fail.
Your EV is Getting Old Let’s Trade It In
What’s the first thing I’m going to look at when I consider buying a 12-year-old EV?
How old is the battery? A 12-year-old EV depending on driving and extras could be on it’s third battery.
That’s about a $10,000 replacement cost plus the labor to install it and it would have to be done by a Tesla dealer.
Not buying a car if I know the battery will be worn out in a year or so.
Even if most batteries on the road lasted the 12 years it’s just a matter of time.
What About These Batteries?
We know that there’s negligible drain on the gas tank of a fossil fuel automobile if you use air-conditioning or heater, radio or CD player, heated seats and cup holders, or lights.
With an EV all those things take a small but a drain nevertheless on the battery and the length of time between charging.
In my previous article, “I’m Going to Have To Pass On Buying An Electric Car” I detailed the damage to the planet in producing the materials needed to produce a EV battery.
Some Final Thoughts
Until the electric grid problem is solved there will probably be less than ten percent of the cars on the road being EVs.
And as mentioned earlier fossil fuels are used to produce 64 percent of our current electric usage.
That’s only going to get worse as more of the third world countries advance into the use of fossil fuels.
I think these manufacturers are going to be disappointed with future sales.
Right now, they’re an overpriced novelty but as buyers get frustrated with the charging issues and other inconveniences many will return to their planet killing gas guzzlers.
Alternative fuels will come but unfortunately, they can’t be forced.
I think we need to shift our concern about climate to a more dangerous event and that’s running out of electricity.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and that you’ll subscribe.
About the Creator
Thomas Egelhoff
Author, Radio Talk Show Host, blogger, YouTuber, Vietnam Vet, half-fast guitar player, average cook, and a really nice guy. I read all my articles; you should too and subscribe. Thanks very much.
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Comments (9)
Well said, people are jumping to the conclusion that EVs will make all the difference but a little research and understanding shows that's not the case.
So you're saying that we shouldn't take one step forward because there are still twenty steps to go? No thanks. This is a perspective that is being pushed by oil robber barons. Please don't let yourself be swept up by this sort of thing. Of course it's a problem electricity is still primarily non-renewable sourced. Of course EVs aren't an answer. They're part of a solution. The answer is cooperation and foresight. This is short-sighted and ignorant.
Love this. Thank you. It is amazing to me that other readers below still don't get it. Just because the car is zero emission doesn't mean manufacturing the car and the horrible damage to the climate via the lithium industry isn't far worse. And the same think you can just plug a car into an outlet and good to go. You clearly identify why that won't be possible in the foreseeable but they still don't get it. Well done! I just wish the argument wasn't wasted on the ignorant self-righteous.
In reading this article, I am not surprised that Electric Vehicles may one day replace gasoline powered vehicles. It would cut down on the amount of exhaust fumes that get in the air. There are people out here in our society that suffer with ailments such as asthma, and a lot of exhaust fumes could cause that person to have a serious attack. If there were more Electrical Vehicles, it could cut down on the amount of smog and also help ease health issues like asthma. It would help the ozone layer. Not to get off topic, but it would help people save money, as you can see, the price of gasoline has gone through the roof.
I don't see any argument here for no climate change benefit. Just that EVs stress the power grid, which in and of itself does little to carbon emissions compared to what's spared from the actual cars. Ten thousand cars emitting 0 carbon with a grid that requires adaptation is obviously a lot better than the status quo. As for battery waste, there are means of recycling, that are improving, and, even if it didn't, this is bare mild an argument for the article title.
In the near future EVs and charging stations will be like computers. Every home will have one. While your article was well written you were only looking at the small picture. You are not looking at the long term or the big picture. The United States is so far behind most other countries in the world right now regarding Electric vehicles, solar power, etc. Right now and the United States yes it is cheaper to power our vehicles with gas. But as time progresses it's going to become more and more expensive to use gasoline. Reason is investments and oil are already declining while investment in electricity are increasing. It's just a matter of time before the gas automobile becomes obsolete. As more electric vehicles are produced the cost of them will decrease tremendously. Along with electric vehicles eventually every single home will have at least one or two charging stations on their property. We are not going to have parking lots full of cars using a charging station for 8 hours. That's pretty ridiculous to even imply. I'm laughing at the thought. A person who come home from work or school and charge their car daily. Probably only having to charge for an hour or so each day. Electric vehicles are still in the developmental phases at this point in time. As they evolve their batteries will become much more efficient as well the charging stations. Within five to 10 years it will only take 2 to 3 hours to fully charge a car. We are only at the beginning stages of the development of the electric vehicles they are going to change tremendously over the next few years.
Very nice insight. I always figured there was something strange about EVs, but I couldn't quite figure out what. All I knew was that a miracle cure for climate change, such as how EVs are portrayed in advertisements, isn't feasible in our current state. I'm also certain that many people previously hadn't considered some of the complications with EVs that you pointed out, such as the battery life and how taxing they would be on the power grid if everyone used one. I, for one, was surprised. I suppose we'll have to look for a new, more sustainable, way to modify our transportation to prevent climate change.
Hi, love the post. In southeast asia, the government has been thinking of allowing EV. Theese EV advertisements are currently REALLY HUGE! Never knew about this “overpriced novelty but as buyers get frustrated with the charging issues”. 🤡.. THANKS FOR THE INFO. Ngl, I’m one of those highly anticipated person. 🙏🏻👍🏻
Nice job. No EVs are not a magic bullet for the climate problem. As you point out, the electricity has to come from somewhere, which is typically power plants, and options there are not ideal - fossil fuel or nuclear. The cars themselves have problems ranging from power drain to battery life to battery disposal. It's a complex problem.