earth day 2008

[Dogs Rule]

Mistershine said:

Dogs Rule said:
Not yet, but I will not buy a new car until I can get a hybrid (or a pure electric vehicle). I rarely travel further than the range of an electric vehicle and I can borrow a gasoline car if I ever needed to, so I hope electric vehicles become available in the next few years.

I'm loosing faith in the hydrogen powered car, BTW.

As a genereal rule the amount of power required to produce the electricity you need to charge a car produces more CO2 than you would by driving a petrol/diesel car.

I live in a province where nearly (97%) all energy is hydroelectricity which produces 0 grams of Carbon Dioxide. That's not to say it doesn't have an environmental impact, since damming rivers to create artificial lakes is has an impact of the flooded land and its faun and flora. However, since the construction of dams happened decades ago and the areas have adapted, I consider the impact to be minimal. (This is one of the reasons I use Folding@home a lot, because if the work really does have to be done, it is better off being done by someone whose electricity is mostly green) 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydro-Quebec 

http://www.electroauto.com/info/poll.shtml 

http://www.electroauto.com/info/pollmyth.shtml  (half-way mark is a section called The Efficiency Advantage of EVs and Power Plants for places that use less clean energy sources to make electricity)