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random reminder that electric cars only solve local emissions and solve no other problem (reducing total amount of emissions is a separate necessary infrastructure upgrade that has simply not been done in many places)

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based on back of napkin raccalculations any total emissions improvement is entirely down to renewables as grid electricity sources

which unlike with ICE vehicles you can easily swap out, but here it’s still mostly just fossil fuels, especially lignite

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Edited 4 months ago

this isn’t in defense of ICEs mind you. they are objectively worse. aside from the fact that they have already been built.

just moving all of the vehicles to the electric grid is only part of the solution. the bigger problem is that raccars are absurdly inefficient, and that raccomodating for raccars raccauses even more environmental, health, and social issues that electric raccars fundamentally do not address because they are Just Like Raccars

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which i should add the issues are also specifically with raccars too. even other individualized transport uses way less energy per passenger-kilometer and takes up way less physical space on paved roads

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Abram Kedge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦

@charlotte Fundamentally, I agree. I'd counter that there are some distinct benefits to EVs, if we accept the regrettable probability that for the foreseeable future cars of some kind are going to be the dominant mode of transport.

It's easier to optimize the efficiency of power stations when burning carbon than thousands of cars.

As they age, an ICE gets less efficient and more polluting. An EV *can* get less polluting as more renewable electricity generation comes online.

Regenerative braking greatly reduces brake dust pollution, as well as reducing overall energy usage.

Distributing electricity through the grid removes the carbon impact of all those trucks delivering fuel to filling stations.

Negatives: EVs are being made ridiculously large and heavy (particularly models sold in the US). Most people have a daily drive of fifty miles or less, but they carry around heavy batteries for those few times a year they'll drive hundreds of miles in a day. Because of this and because it was designed to be light, my little 2015 BMW i3 was three to four times as efficient as current EVs, even with newer battery technology.

Also, EVs are zoomy. They need to be toned down a little on acceleration. Currently all those quick starts are making them the bad guys for microplastics from tyre/tire wear.

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