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How To Win The Anti-Electric Car Argument In 4 Steps
Posted by: admin
Tags:
Cars Reviews, electric cars, Funny Cars, future cars, News, Used Cars
Posted date:
November 23, 2010 |
2 Comments
The ever present field of electric car naysayers love nothing more than to launch attacks on the rise of the electric car, these people seem to have an almost personal dislike of the electric vehicle and love nothing more than trying to convince anyone who’ll listen that the electric car is doomed. I hear from them everyday and today, I’m going to tell you how to resoundingly beat them in an argument. The list below are their most common claims and under each claim I’ve put the appropriate counter argument. If you’d like to add to this list please post your addition in the comments, the comments will then be included in round 2.
- They’re too expensive!
- So were cell phones 10-20 years ago, and they were clunky, the battery life was abysmal and only the wealthy could afford them. The current rate of technological innovation is blisteringly fast and as electric cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles become more widely accepted and mass produced, the pricing will come down by several orders of magnitude. It happens with all technology, electric cars are no different. Currently the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt are both affordable to middle-class American families, the next few years will see many more cars on the market and a steady downward trend on pricing.
- They can’t go long distances!
- Yes they can. You’d need to stop to get gas anyway so stopping to recharge isn’t exactly a new experience. Yes it takes longer however technology is just around the corner that’ll see batteries being charged in 20 minutes or less at dedicated charging stations, at a cost of just a couple of dollars for a “full tank”. 20 minutes is how long it takes you to have a coffee and read the paper, play a couple of levels of Angry Birds, stretch your legs or just wander around and take in the sights of the town you’re passing through. We already have electric cars with a 300 mile range (the Tesla Model S), so just imagine what we’ll have in 10 years.
- They are all charged by coal power stations anyway!
- No they aren’t. An increasing number of people charge their cars from wind and solar power. Those who do charge off the grid emit no carbon. Those who charge on the grid benefit from the huge difference in efficiency afforded by power-plants, they can produce an equal amount of power emitting less than half the CO2 of a conventional car engine for the distance travelled. That’s a big difference.
- The batteries are toxic and are bad for the environment!
- No, they aren’t toxic. In fact according to the U.S. government, lithium ion batteries aren’t an environmental hazard at all. “Lithium Ion batteries are classified by the federal government as non-hazardous waste and are safe for disposal in the normal municipal waste stream”. Toyota and Honda are leading the charge when it comes to battery recycling and Toyota even offers $200 USD for used battery packs to make sure they are properly recycled.
It might be worth bookmarking this page so you’re ready next time you meet an anti-electric car zealot. As I mentioned above, if you’d like to add to this list, please post your addition in the comments below.
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2 comments on “How To Win The Anti-Electric Car Argument In 4 Steps”
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Nice try on the batteries. No current electric car uses Li batteries yet. Like everthing else on your list, they are “Just around the corner.” The Toyota Prius is ome of the most poluting cars on the planet due to its nickel based battery. Just the mining and processing of the nickle alone is an atrocious, but when you add the travel around the world to multiple sites for different stages of processing, the Prius ends up producing almost three times the total lifetime polution of a Hummer.
Now consider the “renewable” solar and wind power for charging. Solar panels are so toxic it is illegal to manufacture them in the US. On top of that, it takes more electricity to make them than they produce in their lifetime. Wind power is a tax- subsidy shell game. The only opperating turbines in the US are those collecting juicy subsidies courtesy of us tax payers. Which is why 80% of the turbines in the US are abandoned.
You are absolutely correct that the technology is progressing at an exponential rate. However, you should avoid all the unnessary fluff, it only distracts from ACTUAL facts.
Pointless. We will be growing fuel in 10 years.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-03/exxon-600-million-algae-investment-spurs-khosla-to-dismiss-as-pipe-dream.html