Electric cars .. Not all as Green as was reckoned;(..

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The team looked at the life-cycle impact of conventional and electric vehicles.

In essence, they considered how the production, the use and the end-of- life dismantling of a car affects the environment, explained co-author Prof Anders Hammer Stromman.

"The production phase of electric vehicles proved substantially more environmentally intensive," the report said, comparing it to how petrol and diesel cars are made.

"The global warming potential from electric vehicle production is about twice that of conventional vehicles."

In addition, producing batteries and electric motors requires a lot of toxic minerals such as nickel, copper and aluminium.

Hence, the acidification impact is much greater than that of conventional car production.

"Across the other impacts considered in the analysis including potential for effects related to acid rain, airborne particulate matter, smog, human toxicity, ecosystem toxicity and depletion of fossil fuel and mineral resources, electric vehicles consistently perform worse or on par with modern internal combustion engine vehicles, despite virtually zero direct emissions during operation," according to Prof Stromman. 'Counterproductive' efforts Continue reading the main story ?Start Quote

A battery electric vehicle, with electricity produced by the power generation mix we currently have in Europe, compares favourably in the magnitude of 10% or so with diesel?

Dieter Zetsche Chief executive, Daimler

With electric car production being so damaging to the environment, these cars have already polluted a great deal by the time they hit the road, the report says.

However, if the cars were then powered by electricity made from low- carbon electricity sources, they could nevertheless offer "the potential for substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and exposure to tailpipe emissions" over time.

However, in regions where fossil fuels are the main sources of power, electric cars offer no benefits and may even cause more harm, the report said.

Reply to
tony sayer
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So you mean they're OK with Solar PV/wind turbines? I might go out and get one.

Reply to
harry

well do that - no don't. Cost you will be stick beside your computer all winter. OTOH the computer wont work either. So that's a plus.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

I think though that localised pollution in cities has got to be better. This is the strength of current electric cars. We produce the crap elsewhere. One problem at the moment with these vehicles is that the drivers need to be aware of their hazard factor. its no good thinking that blind person will have heard me coming, cos they won't have. So drivers need to have some kind of noise in the vehicle to switch on when in an area where pedestrians might be walking in the roadway. Some might go as far as to suggest that this noise should not be at the discretion of the driver, but always on and changing with the vehicle speed.

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Quelle surprise.

Reply to
Huge

There are perhaps only an handful of cities in Britain where electric cars should be a must. At the moment the idea of them in suburbs and rural towns is bull.

We have laws against diesel pollution that aught to be more rigidly enforced in other towns. This would improve situations there immensely. But just telling a diesel owner if his engine is smoking would be a great help.

It shouldn't need heavy policing.

Everything else is just political platitudes and environmental stupidities.

What does that mean?

Reply to
Weatherlawyer

...

A German study, done when they still had nuclear power and 49% of their power came from coal, concluded that there was no overall difference in emissions, apart from the fact that electric cars were responsible for

10 times as much sulphur dioxide.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

I think users should be able to upload their own sounds to their electric vehicles, a bit like a phone's ringtone. Preferably wirelessly and with low security, so that I can make any passing electric vehicle quack like a duck. :-)

Reply to
Jules Richardson

I've long anticipated the day when electric cars will have "engine noise" choices in the same way that phones today have ringtones.

I rather fancy having steam engine noises if I had an electric car (which I really don't see ever happening).

Tim

"Brian Gaff" wrote:

Reply to
Tim+

I know one owner of a series 2A Landie that has a steam train hooter as a horn sound/siren thingy

Avpx

Reply to
The Nomad

Not really. Nothing stopping folk doing that now but there not a lot as a diesel owner that you can do about it. It's in the nature of the beast.

Well of course there is one thing, and that's buy a new diesel car with a diesel particulate filter.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

My car has a green sticker that shows it complies with the Euro 4 specification. It is a requirement to be able to drive into several cities in Germany.

Given the sort of vehicle I usually see smoking, I would think there is a fairly good chance of that getting you an earful, if not a thump.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

The ones in Japan have such a device. However it is disabled in the UK,they are illegal.

Reply to
harry

New diesel cars are fitted with a catalytic converter. Unreliable and expensive.

Reply to
harry

A G-Whiz sounding like a Ferrari V12? [shudder]

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

In message , The Nomad writes

I always wanted to fit a destroyer siren to mine.

Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

Ah yes. I particulaly like hurrican.wav

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Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Well we could all piss ourselves laughing. How about some 'whispering death'

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Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Other interesting noises:

- clippety-clop/trot/gallop

- a nice turbine noise/jet engine

Reply to
Bob Eager

My Honda CB72 used to have Maserati air horms. People kept looking for the car...

Reply to
Bob Eager

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