Quote:
Originally Posted by fielderLS3
Admittedly, I'm not sure where the power comes from specifically in Quebec.
What I do know is that coal makes up the biggest share of US electricity production, with coal's share in my state particularly high. As I understand it, in about half of the states, driving an electric car generates more emissions than a gas car because of it, with several of the remaining states roughly breaking even.
Only in states where nuclear and hydro-electric are significant players does the emission balance work out in an electric car's favor...and the environmental movement has long fought against both energy sources (really, all energy sources to be fair).
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Upon which you get into the issue of source vs tail pipe emissions. Whats worse for the environment: multiple refineries turning ore into batteries, or multiple refineries turning crude into gasoline. The overall equation changes based on where you live, and even then it probably borders on impossible to get reliable data on what is really going on. For myself, I know that I live area near a massive hydro-electric plant (Niagara Falls), with a smaller coal plant (Nanticoke -single largest coal plant in NA, I think), and numerous wind turbines being proposed (with strong opposition), with nuclear nearby to take up the slack. Going the EV route, for CO2 emissions is a pretty easy choice -if thats what I was concerned about. But I'm not.
Personally, I usually go back to my days of Scouting. Among other things, a good Scout is "wise in the use of his resources". Spending a lot more for a marginal gain is silly. Spending a little more for a large gain is easy. Question is, what is a little, what is a lot, and what do we have to gain?