Following on from my piece about artifical trees, this BBC piece from a couple of weeks ago got me thinking about another method of reducing transport related emissions, electric vehicles.
Of course the first thing to remember when one considers electric cars or vans is that the electricity has to come from somewhere, and if that’s from a power station which uses fossil fuels then really all you’re doing is obfuscating the vehicle’s carbon footprint, rather than reducing it significantly. Although, saying that, it has to be more practical to employ carbon capture technology in a power station than in a vehicle.
Electric cars and vans actually have a much longer history than most might realise, and in the early days of motorised transport, were far more common then petrol powered vehicles. However, advances in the internal combustion engine (ICE) & petroleum production technology during the early 20th century allowed ICE powered cars to be produced substantially cheaper than equivalent electric vehicles, and as a result electric vehicles pretty much died out for severeal decades.
In some ways it seems ironic to me that we started out on a track we’re now re-embracing, but given the advantages which the ICE had at the time, such as longer range & faster refueling times, it’s hard to blame the people of the time for embracing it, &, I have to wonder whether humanity would have advanced nearly so much as it did during the 20th century without the ICE. Some may argue that less advancement may actually have been a good thing for our species, and the planet in general, and in many ways I have sympathy for that view, but it would feel somewhat hypocritical to get too fervent about it.
In any case the modern generation of electric vehicles do appear to be shaping up rather nicely, and it once again looks like they might be able to give ICE powered vehicles a run for their money. The days when the only electric vehicles on the streets were the old fashioned milk floats are long gone, and although the technology definitely still needs some work, to make it affordable and convenient some of the forerunners of this new generation of electric cars and vans give hope that they may indeed be a viable solution in the very near future.
One of the most impressive is possibly Tesla Motors’ Roadster; A car based on the Lotus Elise which boasts a top speed of 135mph, a 200 mile range, & can go from 0 to 60 in ~4 seconds. Tesla also have plans for a solar powered version which they claim could make the car “carbon positive”, impressive stuff, if it comes about. Even it’s price tag of £90k isn’t that bad if one views it as a luxury sports model, although it is obviously out of many people’s price range. Anyway, take a look for yourself, if you want:
There’s also hope for those who can’t afford that kind of price tag, as more mainstream brands, such as Mitsubishi & Mini, release more affordablle electric vehicles, while others, like volkswagen, clamour to jump on the band wagon. It looks like business is starting to take the idea of electrics seriously too, with some courier companies starting to adopt the use of electric vans, especially around urban areas, where their pollution reducing benefits might be most tangibly felt. Also a number of the big name car and van rental companies are looking at offering electrics as an option, or are already doing so; good news for those who don’t own a car for green principle reasons, but occasionally find the need for something more reliable and flexible than public transport. I suppose it would even give the sceptics, a chance to “try before they buy”.
Overall, I think this technology does have an awful lot of potential; it may not be quite “there” yet, but I think over the next few years it’s likely to become more and more commonplace. The Govt announcement that they’ll support the construction of the required infrastructure has to be a big step forward- An easily accessed, widespread, network of charging points will surely only help encourage people that electrics are more than just an eccentric fad. As I said at the start of the piece, I do have some concerns about the source of the electricity that powers these vehicles, but, in terms of transport, I think we may well be looking at the shape of things to come.
Tags: Environment, Science
thanks for the great post. Best regards
[...] happy; “Every little helps,” as one of their competitors might say. Any regular reader will know that I’m a fan of the concept of electric vans and cars, so it’s good to see the govt [...]
I would really like to know the true impact of electric cars on the environment. I assume there is quite a lot of carbon produced creating the energy required for the cars?
That’s a pretty good post, i was studying something similar on another blog not too long ago that basically said the same thing although yours is clearer, plus its great to have some validation on seeing two resources acknowledge it.
The free energy devices have been suppressed by the corporate world, because such devices, would allow people to create their own energy for free, which would ultimately shut down the big energy corporations, because people won’t need to pay anymore for electricity to fill their pockets.
A Zero point magnetic power generator is basically a Free Energy Generator. It uses magnets, and magnetic force to induce perpetual motion. It runs by itself, indefinitely without stopping, thus creating completely free electrical energy, which can fully power your home for free. A Perpetual motion device refers to a machine that runs perpetually i.e. indefinitely, and produces a larger amount of energy than it consumes. Thus, it produces free energy indefinitely, runs by itself, without having to need a third-party device or resource to power it.
Sounds like a sales pitch to me! A perpetual motion device (PMD) has been a “Holy Grail” for scientists for decades, if not centuries, now. I believe there are even (cash) prizes offered for the first person who’s able to invent one; In short it would be big news IF one HAD been invented!
The reason why we’re unlikely to ever see a true PMD is the Law of Conservation of Energy, which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; when electricity is generated it is merely the conversion of some other form of energy into electrical energy. That’s the big problem with PMDs, no matter how efficient they might be they still need a source of energy to work with, and eventually it WILL run out!