Making the case for electric vehicles
April 22nd, 2009 by admin | Uncategorized | Tags: climateanswers, electric cars, electric vehicles, emissions, London black cabs, pollution, stephen tindale, transport, UK budget | No Comments »Today we expect that the UK budget announcement will include an incentive for electric cars. We asked Stephen Tindale, from Climate Answers, and former Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, as well as adviser to then Environmental Minister Michael Meacher MP, to write his thoughts about electric cars.
“The UK Government’s support for electric vehicles should be strongly supported.”
Those concerned about climate change too often take an overly anti-car position. Of course cars should not be used unnecessarily, and many current car journeys are wasteful, and stupid for other reasons: the daily drive to work when the train would be quicker; the school run which makes children unfit; the drive to the gym to pedal the same equivalent distance on an exercise bike. But not all car journeys should be condemned. People in many rural areas need cars. People who holiday in the UK may want to drive. And not everyone is physically able to ‘walk, cycle or use public transport’.
The rise of electric vehicles means that, however well we do on energy efficiency, there will be an increase in the demand for electricity. Clearly, the lower carbon the generation mix the better electric vehicle will be. But whatever the mix of generation, they are a step forward (see treehugger.com). A conventional petrol vehicles emits about 450 grams per mile. A plug-in hybrid, if the generation mix was 100% coal, would emit about 360. This is actually higher than a non-plug-in hybrid, which is about 300. But luckily the generation mix isn’t 100% coal. CCGT would emit 225, nuclear 152, renewables 150 (which is obviously from when it’s running on petrol - when running on renewable electricity it is zero).
Renewables, apart from biomas/biogas, are intermittent. This is regularly used by opponents to attack them, although until the generation mix is about 30% renewable intermittence won’t be a problem, and the UK level is currently 5%. But before we become 100% renewable, we will have to address the storage issue, and electric vehicles are a good option. Vehicle batteries should be charged during the night, when demand is low. And they should be reversible, so that electricity can be fed back into the grid when not needed to drive the vehicle.
“Vehicle batteries should be charged during the night, when demand is low. And they should be reversible, so that electricity can be fed back into the grid when not needed to drive the vehicle.”
Some opponents have criticised the Government for “exporting the pollution”. Carbon emissions are equally damaging wherever they occur geographically (although altitude maters, which is why flying is about three times as harmful than the carbon figures suggest). So going electric is ‘exporting’ carbon emissions - though also reducing them. But other pollutants are more damaging if emitted in areas of high concentrations: particulates (ie. soot) and nitrogen dioxide. The UK has major problems with both. Running black cabs on electricity rather than diesel would be excellent for both air quality and the climate.
Electric vehicles also have the advantage of being very quiet. This would increase improve life in both cities and the countryside. Cyclists and visually impaired people have legitimate concerns about completely silent vehicles. But this isn’t a reason not to go electric. You don’t need oil to make a noise.
Stephen Tindale is the co-founder of Climate Answers (www.climateanswers.info), which tries to spread the message that tackling climate change can make us healthier, happier and richer, as well as more secure.
