Commentary
What About Electric Cars?
We received a request from a reader asking why GHASP (now Air Alliance Houston) does not address emissions from passenger vehicles, in particular the electric car which is a zero-emission vehicle (totally electric not a hybrid) and coming into the mainstream market.
Indeed we do work to improve air quality which involves working with governmental agencies, industry and research centers to reduce all varieties of air pollution to the point of elimination. This includes emissions not only from on-road mobile sources but also off-road mobile sources, area and point sources and biogenic emissions (resulting from biological activity or from living things; read our publication Trees & Our Air, 1999).
But the request started a conversation in the office around the topic, “Could there ever truly be a car in the near future with zero emissions?” Our thoughts catapulted to a distant future of 100% solar powered cars, but then let’s not digress.
We all agreed that even though electric cars are not mass produced, they are available and getting cheaper to own. They provide a great alternative as a second around-the-town vehicle, but then not all of us need or can afford a second car. The lower priced electrics under $16,000 may not have the pumped-up speed required to drive the freeways since most top out at 45mph, but they are very usable for short trips around town.
Our fitness voice might remind us that if it is really a short trip, you could venture out for a healthy walk, bike or just jump on the bus, but we know that most of us would like a more direct, zero alternative option – so back to the electric car.
For those with the bucks to spare, why not invest in the Tesla Roadster for a little over $100,000, 0 - 60mph in 3.9 seconds, and 245 miles per charge. For every recharge the Roadster needs 31 kilowatts hours of electricity. A kWh of electricity = 1.55 lbs of carbon monoxide, which translates to 48.5 lbs of CO2 per 100 miles. A local dealer’s Web site advertises a wind or solar charging system for the times without electricity or to simply avoid altogether plugging into our electricity grid.
Electric motors are reported to have 100,000 hours of service. If you drive an average of 4 hours a day every day the motor could last 68 years. The motor is virtually maintenance free with no belts, moving parts or need for oil changes. For the moment, however, the greatest roadblock is the battery. The lithium-ion battery packs, which are about half the size and weight of nickel-metal hydride batteries, will power the next generation of hybrid and electric plug-in vehicles–then there is the promise of the lithium-sulphur battery and then the ultimate lithium-air, third generation batteries. Again it is technology that keeps improving the charge, safety and convenience of the lithium battery and that is exactly what needs to happen.
Where to plug-in other than at home is an issue to deal with but companies like EV Charge America has solutions. EV-Charge America, a distributor and installer of products and services, provides a charging infrastructure for plug-in vehicles. We wondered what the cost of a 31kWh charge would be and how long it would take to charge. The challenge will be financing and building the infrastructure to provide the street-level recharging points and “smart” power grids to supply the growing electric fleet without requiring much extra generating capacity.
We like the distinctive looks of cars such as the Tesla – no really, we do - but let’s not forget that while electric cars may be “emissionless” for the foreseeable future they will likely use a source of energy that isn’t.
So what about the electrical source?
Consider first the increase use of electricity where the primary source in the U.S. is still coal. In fact the three primary energy sources for generating electric power in the United States are coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy.
The burning of coal contributes to climate warming, acid rain, air pollution, water pollution (methyl mercury) and let’s not forget strip mining which is the process used for 60% of coal retrieval.
Nuclear power, which almost completely avoids all problems associated with coal burning, has other impacts on our health and environment. Mining and purifying uranium is not a clean process. Transporting nuclear fuel to and from plants poses a contamination risk, and once the fuel is spent, the waste is still radioactive and potentially deadly. So where does all that radioactive waste go? Whose backyard? For those living in the 5.8% area where the source of electricity is hydroelectric, choosing an electric vehicle would be a cleaner choice. In Texas the primary sources of our electricity are natural gas, coal and nuclear power.
So where do we go from here?
We should continue to focus on alternative sources of electricity while finding ways to actually reduce our need. For the skeptics who shout how impossible it is to reduce the need for energy, they should remember the changes that took place during the $4 a gallon crisis in 2008 – more working from home, four day work weeks, taking public transportation and the increase in carpooling and the purchase of fuel efficient cars. Since cars will probably be a part of our daily lives for the foreseeable future, we must decrease our dependency on fossil fuels and electric cars are on the right track – or road, rather.
Local and state government should place greater emphasis on retrofitting existing neighborhoods into walkable and bikeable neighborhoods and provide efficient, fast public transit systems not only within cities but connecting major urban areas.
Such smart planning has given birth to a new term - “trip chain” - which simply means to combine errands into one trip. It saves time, reduces traffic congestion and air pollution. When you first start a car’s engine after it has been sitting for more than hour, it pollutes up to 5 times more than when the engine is warm.
Just imagine, like John Lennon suggested, if everyone took a few simple steps together to remove this country from its total dependency on fossil fuels…it all adds up to cleaner air.
