Question by James Casey: Would an electric car that ran on renewable energy be eco-friendly?
A lot of the “energy” for electric cars comes from fossil fuels. So, I don’t think you’re making much of a difference with electric cars (you’re simply trading one fossil fuel for another). So if an electric car got engery from an electric “gas station” that was fueled by wind power (or another renewable source), would it be more eco-friendly?
Best answer:
Answer by Wowthatsobvious
Wait… so your question is “Is wind power more eco-friendly than burning fossil fuels?”
No sh*t sherlock, of course it’d be MORE eco-friendly, however I disagree with your bit on electric cars, it takes less energy to generate the electricity that powers an electric car versus the energy required to run a combustion engine.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
9 comments
No ping yet
Almost Stew says:
July 28, 2013 at 4:10 pm (UTC 0)
it would be more eco friendly, as driving it would need no fossil fuels but it would take alot longer to charge up (or it would be alot slower/have shorter ‘fuel tank’). also you might not be able to fuel your car if it wasnt windy/ sunny.
However the parts which make electric cars come all over the world and need special minerals and metals. these cost a great deal in fossil fuels to transport here, and will damage the environment when they are disposed of.
Josh F says:
July 28, 2013 at 4:24 pm (UTC 0)
yes it would because a renewable resource will never run out
Greenscraper.pk says:
July 28, 2013 at 5:16 pm (UTC 0)
DUHH! =p
MTRstudent says:
July 28, 2013 at 5:44 pm (UTC 0)
They would be more eco-friendly than fossil fueled cars!
Looking at CO2 emissions alone, an average petrol 2009 Ford Focus emits 155g CO2/km.
The Chevrolet Volt charged by a coal power station emits about 130g CO2/km. If charged by a gas power station about 60g CO2/km, or if charged by a nuclear power station or wind generator about 3-5g CO2/km.
Gas power stations and electric cars are actually far cleaner than petrol/diesel burning cars because gas power stations are very efficient and natural gas is lower CO2 than oil. Renewable or nuclear powered electric cars are remarkably clean to run.
Jeff B says:
July 28, 2013 at 6:05 pm (UTC 0)
The eco-friendliness of cars isn’t limited to the amount of emissions that come from the car. Spatial growth patterns are also related to automotive infrastructure – i.e. urban sprawl. It doesn’t matter what the car runs on if people still want to live in the suburbs and commute. It may help reduce air contamination, but loss of habitat and community-disconnectness will continue to occur no matter what fuels the car.
daddeo01905 says:
July 28, 2013 at 6:11 pm (UTC 0)
The advantage of an electric engine over a gasoline engine is efficiency. The electric motor is more efficient than a gasoline engine. Also electricity is produced cheaper that gasoline, so you’re not ‘simply trading one fossil fuel for another’.
But an electric car that ran on renewable energy be more eco-friendly. So if a person was charging up with electricity they should try to buy the Green option from so the more of the electricity is produced from green sources and not fossil fuels.
I hope to see cars that run on concentrated solar power.
John W says:
July 28, 2013 at 6:52 pm (UTC 0)
Not as eco-friendly as a gasoline car running on synthetic gasoline made by Fischer Tropsch synthesis of syngas from gasification of biomass such as trash and dried sewage with carbon sequestration by biochar use of the charcoal byproduct. Such a process would be carbon negative and would leverage the existing vehicle install base and fuel distribution infrastructure to help undo the damage we’ve done while something like the electric car would simply create a demand for new vehicles and the construction of another support infrastructure all at a cost to the environment. In the long run, the electric car is better for the environment but with our current vehicle install base, it isn’t the most eco-friendly option.
Breath on the Wind says:
July 28, 2013 at 6:58 pm (UTC 0)
The electric CAR is “eco-friendly” regardless of its electrical source. A cleaner source of electricity will improve the SYSTEM but not the CAR. The vehicle never changes. It is pollution free in its operation. It is over 90% efficient at what it does. It is clean and quiet. None of this changes if I push it down a hill with no power, charge it up from photovoltaic cells or plug directly into to the nearest oil fired or coal fired power plant. The CAR remains the same. The CAR does not pollute more or less. The CAR never changes.
There is an argument against Electric Vehicles that says that because electricity is a fuel made somewhere else we have to examine how clean the source is to determine how clean the vehicle is. I find this a false argument for a number of reasons.
We know that a gun or a knife is not suddenly bad because it was used by a person of criminal intent (rather than a person of culinary intent.) Neither is the car bad because someone may have used it to run another person over. So also an electric CAR is not suddenly “bad” because one person charges with photovoltaic cells and another charges from a coal fired power plant. The CAR stays the same. The CAR is not suddenly good or bad. The CAR never changes.
But an electric motor is a radically different way of converting energy to motion than using an internal combustion engine (ICE.) It is not simply a change in style or design. It is not a slight mechanical modification. It is part of an entirely different “energy to transportation system.” It is entirely different than a “petrochemical transportation system,” (PTS.) Because the one common denominator is that it uses electricity it is part of an ELECTRIFIED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, (ETS.)1 It may be another 10 years before some will be able to understand this concept. It would be as if we suddenly began to switch to telepathy instead of talking for a communication system.
Currently parts of the ETS uses fossil fuels to create electricity. The amount will vary in each country and within each country. The US use of coal to generate electricity is now about 48.3% and dropping while the California use of coal is only about 16% and dropping.3 Power plants alone are more efficient than an ICE vehicle. The combination of the most polluting power plant and an electric car is far less polluting than a refinery and an ICE vehicle. It is a “better” system.2
There is no way to “test” an electric vehicle to determine if there is a polluting power plant. Neither can you “test” your SUV to see if a Petrochemical Company murdered an oil minister that was not sympathetic. You can’t “test” your SUV to see if a petrochemical company used a blow out valve that was suspect by the industry and a resulting oil spill caused the death of millions of creatures in the environment. A “test” is not possible because these things don’t reside within the vehicle. You can’t blame either your SUV or the ELECTRIC CAR for these things. It is the SYSTEM that might be a problem.
You can either work to correct the system or switch systems but remember as an owner or operator you are also part of the SYSTEM.
Lily says:
July 28, 2013 at 7:51 pm (UTC 0)
If the electricity is generated by renewable sources such as wind turbines, solar panels, or hydroelectric, then there is no carbon footprint and you are far better off than running a gasoline (petrol) powered vehicle. If the electricial comes from a nuclear plant, again, zero carbon footprint. How about if the electricity is generated by a coal fired electricity station? Well, you are actually still going to generate less carbon dioxide, which may surprise you. The plug in vehicle will charge its batteries overnight usually, a non-peak period for the coal plant. And electrical power is so much more efficient than gasoline- gasoline creates heat, but very little of the energy released actually moves the wheels of your car.