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Originally Posted by ember1205
Not only does it still rely on it "mostly", there really isn't a way to get away from coal and natural gas burning to generate electricity. EV's are little more than a way for make fossil fuel use a "blind item" by using them to generate electricity and then telling the car owners that their new car "doesn't use fossil fuels." It's typical political double-speak by being technically true AND an evasive lie at the same time.
Want to have fun with a politician? Take up the argument that EVERY form of energy is ultimately solar energy. They will want to argue, so ask them to name a form of energy that isn't ultimately derived from the sun. They can't. 
The issue with renewable energy is less about being "only where it's windy" (for example) and more about the sheer volume of real estate required for the amount of energy produced. The only place I could install solar panels on my home is on the roof (no ground-mounted options allowed, and it would consume my entire yard even if it were). Ok... No issue... 2600 square foot ranch, so LOTS of real estate on the roof. But, you can really only use half of it (has to face the correct direction) at best.
Central Air, filter for a pool, blower fans to circulate the heat in the winter, and a 3/4 full server cabinet that I use as a home lab for work. I couldn't produce enough power to run my house on the sunniest of days. So, what's the point? |
Yeah, I love those "Zero Emissions" stickers on the back of EVs. Guess "Zero
Local Emissions" will make people think a little too much, and we all know thinking is bad, very bad!
Now to be fair, most of the electricity in my province does come from hydroelectricity, so there is some truth in the zero-emission bit, though if you really want to get down to it, those machines need to be maintained and lubricated, and guess what is needed to make lubricants? Anyway, the local hydro generation is seeing some challenges with expansion between costly construction, COVID outbreaks, and some opposition. It will probably take a while to finish.
And you don't have to tell me how much solar power generation blows, I have experience with that firsthand in one of my university courses. Our final project basically had a building on campus assigned to a group, and we are supposed to install as many solar panels as we can with each of them positioned to achieve maximum efficiency. The simulations were done with System Advisor Model (SAM) which is made by National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The end result? No group was able to report a profit, or even close to minimal financial loss. IIRC the loss for the building assigned to our group was in the range of hundreds of thousands, if not close to a million over the life of the panel. It's too cost-prohibitive to install for little return on a very large scale.
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Originally Posted by BlaqWhole
Well I'm no expert. But to me, a limited resource is exactly that, limited. Meaning at some point or another it will run out. So is it better to just wait until we run out? Or is it better to start now before we run out. And I'm not getting into some long drawn out debate about it. Regardless of anyone's protests this is coming. Gasoline-powered vehicles will be phased out and EV will take their place. And soon after that gas-powered engines will slowly start to diminish until they are a distant memory. I'll be switching over soon because there is no since in waiting until the last minute. Like I said, can't beat em, might as well join em.
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And my points flew right over you. We are using the same limited resources to make electricity, buddy. At least that's how most of the electricity is made. You can argue we will use it up more slowly that way, but we will still run out one day. It's not really addressing the issue, just delaying the inevitable. Then there is Martinjlm's point on the resources that make the batteries. Lithium battery recycling still has a long way to go, and its commercial viability is the biggest problem. Why bother recycling when it's cheaper to make it from the ground up?
Gas engine dying is also hilarious. Now, this is a bit cheating but think outside of cars for a bit. Sea vessels and ground vehicles are okay with anything electric because weight doesn't matter as much, and if your sea vessel is large enough, you can even just make the electricity onboard with nuclear reactions. But even then, if sea vessels need to travel a long distance, it's simply not feasible to just charge up a massive battery onboard. And then there is aviation... Even making those hybrid is a royal pain now, let alone fully electric. Good luck lifting up those heavy batteries with their awful energy density! It's extra fun to just know that aviation uses a ton of fuel as well, naturally. I hope you never travel around!
There is no point waiting until the last minute, you said? I see many reasons, since EVs are far from mature. It's kind of like buying those first generation Samsung foldable smartphones. You are paying a premium price for a tech that's not quite there yet, and some problems still need solving. Right now, the best thing to do when EV catches fire is to just wait for it to burn out, while we have a lot of experience fighting ICE fire at this point(and it is just physically easier to put out than lithium fire). I would rather wait and then buy a product that's superior to what your impatience-filled Kool-Aid made you buy with less money.
The only winners on public roads are the ones who don't get speeding tickets, BTW. Can't go fast when cops pull you over, can you?