Electric cars or hybrids - will they really help the environment? If we are charging the batteries aren't we requiring more electricity to be produced? Batteries are not the safest things for the environment. I sure wonder about the effectiveness of investing so much $$ in electric cars.
- Home
- Country Selection:
- Also Visit:
- windstopper.com
- goreprotectivefabrics.com
- gore.com
- about us
- careers
0 Likes
Will they really help?
| Author | Comment | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 hikingcoach |
Will they really help? |
Lead | ||
|
Posts: 337 02/21/12 10:06:31
|
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
cdog |
#1 | |||
|
Posts: 144 02/21/12 13:00:07
|
yes, it's a great question hikingcoach. I've heard that driving an old junker is better for the environment than a Prius, if in addition to just fuel efficiency, you consider the impacts from mining to manufacture the new car and new battery, plus weigh in the amount of coal burned to generate the electricity to charge the battery.
I googled a bit and found this lengthy response from a Toyota rep, which does provide some positives: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080109191159AAmia3D
Last Edited By: cdog 02/22/12 10:36:49.
Edited 1 time.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
hikingcoach |
#2 | |||
|
Posts: 337 02/22/12 11:45:29
|
Sometimes it seems the "solutions" cause greater damage than the "problems." I am under the belief if each individual would do just a few "little" things a great impact could be made. Personal responsibility over corporate restriction seems to makes more sense to me. Thanks for the link - I do like getting info from both sides of a question.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
Tangsrud |
#3 | |||
|
Posts: 362 02/23/12 01:03:48
|
Electric cars are coal fired!
People seem to forget where electricity comes from unless they have solar panels on their house....And, lets not forget about the large batteries that are produced for electric cars and the disposal of the large batteries down the road... Also, for those concerned about helth issues...Think about the EMF exposure that you are exposing your back seat passengers to. EMF problems are still being understood, however, consider if you really want to expose your children to a potential issue like EMF??? Honda does have a compressed natural gas vehicle (CNG) that is naamed the "Green car of the year". -http://www.inquisitr.com/...d-green-car-of-the-year/ Yes, the Honda Civic CNG does bun fossil fuels like a Coal fired Prius but the emissions are half that of the same BTU of coal. |
|||
|
|
||||
|
hikingcoach |
#4 | |||
|
Posts: 337 02/23/12 09:43:56
|
Back when I was in HS living in the country there were several farmers that had trucks that used natural gas. Why that hasn't caught on I don't know. The battery issues are very real and have a lot to be desired. Proper maintenance and care of vehicles would do a lot to improve economy - once again that personal responsibility issue.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
Harry |
#5 | |||
|
Posts: 486 02/23/12 21:23:22
|
In Washington State our governor passed a law that all gas stations have to include 10% ethanol into the gasoline. It takes a gallon of gasoline to produce a gallon of ethanol and my vehicles average 4 miles less per gallon on ethanol gas. The use of corn in ethanol has also sky rocketed the price of corn, which has hurt Mexico more than it has hurt us. I am lucky to have a local solution since a native American gas station at a nearby reservation sells non ethanol gas, since they don't have to adhere to state standards. My one car gets 35 mpg instead of 31 and the other 32 instead of 28 mpg using this pure gasoline. Sometimes the end result doesn't seem to help the environment, but actually hurts. I think many people are more interested in what looks environmentally good, rather than what actually is good for the environment. I used to live in Chicago and can attest to the pollution from coal fired power plants. When I got back from a long bike ride, I would have a black ring around both nostrils.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
hikingcoach |
#6 | |||
|
Posts: 337 02/24/12 12:06:58
|
Harry - great info! Thanks. I know that my motorcycle and truck do not get as good mileage when using ethanol gas. I sometime think the "environmentalist" are not always the people that get out into the environment much. I am not convinced that the "environmentalists" really speak for most of us that hike, camp, climb, ski,... I really wonder how much good could be accomplished if the politicians and entertainers would quick flying around the globe and using limos for 6 months. We might see some real benefits to the environment.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
hrothgarbike |
#7 | |||
|
Posts: 1467 02/25/12 09:48:32
|
So true. I lost 10% with that blasted ethanol. I refused to run it in the motorcycle because it would gum up small jets in a few months if left untreated. When treated it would take a full winter to gell. It did make me into a decent carb tuner though!
So you hit the nail on the head. What is best for the environment? The simplest and quickest answer is to use human powered transportation. Bike, walk, run, skate, etc. I know that this is not always an option. It gets cold here, and I do drive if it's bitter out. Otherwise I try to peddle my errands. The second best option is to use public transportation. It is a great, albeit slower option, in major and mid sized cities. Even though it takes longer to get where you are going and you might have to wait for the departure, you can read a book, do homework, knit, build a model airplane, etc. I highly doubt the hardcore "environmentalist" pigs would even consider this an option. I mean, why inconvenience yourself when you can force everyone to use inferior fuel which pollutes more, costs more, is more fragile, and decimates a food source? Oh I know why! Someone received a give away and a platform to get reelected from. Stupid people buy into this crap. Word to the wise. Moto folks: don't let that ethanol gas sit in your carbs. Treat it (stabilizer) first of all with Seafoam, Stabil, or the like. I prefer the Gold Eagle brand Stabil. It keeps the fuel from separating and making that "goat smegma" in the carbs. Google search ethanol and carbs and you will see. Check Thumpertalk. If you can do it, shut the fuel off when your done and run the bike till it stops. This will leave your carbs/carb empty and should stave off the cleaning or rebuild. Smaller engines are more prone to this, and almost all 4 cylinders are as well. Fuel injection seems to deal with it better. I would still treat all ethanol gas that won't be used in a week. Put some fresh ethanol gas in a glass mason jar and leave it on a shelf. Watch what happens over a few months. Pay attention to the first week! |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Tangsrud |
#8 | |||
|
Posts: 362 02/27/12 01:10:02
|
I saw a quote recently that said "History is a set of lies agreed upon" I think we could say the same here - Everything takes in the best interest of someone and is likely not the best for the environment...
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
hikingcoach |
#9 | |||
|
Posts: 337 02/28/12 10:27:56
|
Great thoughts and ideas. Ethanol will mess up a motorcycle. I was in Oklahoma City recently and some stations have big signs "No Ethanol" or "All Gasoline" so that customers will know. The stabilizer is a good idea if you have to use gas w/ ethanol. I like the Amsoil stabilizer.
Tangsrud - I like the quote you shared and your last comment. Those of us that really love and enjoy the environment need to keep an eye on the politicians. |
|||
|
|
||||
- Help
- Reach Us
- Terms of Use
- Visit us on:
