Even in an era when hype, propaganda and outright lies are the norm in our society, the electric car acolytes merit special mention for their exaggerations.
You’ve likely heard, seen or read that electric cars are going to save the planet from climate-change Armageddon. Too many buy these outlandish promises without bothering to crunch some numbers.
Even if you are too lazy to do some math, a bit of critical reasoning would put you head and shoulders above the cult-like crowd who worship electric cars, Tesla, Elon Musk, etc.
First of all, battery technology is, for all the hype, stuck in the mud. I watched a recent episode of Everyday Driver in which the hosts tested three electric vehicles in a locale that was cold and had snow on the ground in many of the shots.
I tell you this because all three vehicles had reduced range on full charges due to the cold, which was duly noted by the test drivers.
Ever notice how the battery that starts your conventional vehicle often craps out when temperatures go below zero?
Batteries that provide the motivational power for electric cars are not immune to the negative effects of cold weather, or even overly hot weather for that matter.
Speaking of batteries, what an environmental disaster it is going to be when those battery packs have taken their last charge and must be sent to the landfills. I know, I know, by then we will have better recycling. Or not.
Even forgetting the battery problem, the zinc, nickel, lithium, copper and all other metals necessary to make electric cars go whir require vast amounts of mining to retrieve them from the ground. That translates to energy used to power large machinery – think large carbon footprint – not to mention gouging unsightly holes into the landscape and polluting the surrounding land.
Then there is the matter of recharging the electric cars. California is mandating that by 2035 all new cars sold in the state will be zero-emission (read electric) vehicles. Aside from creating a boom in auto sales in neighboring states such as Nevada or Arizona, where conventional internal combustion cars presumably will be available, California is writing a check it can’t cash.
Already, with relatively paltry electric car penetration of the market, California is asking drivers to charge their vehicles in off-peak hours because the electrical grid isn’t up to the challenge.
Although many brain donors among the general populace think electricity somehow is magically generated in the walls of houses and apartments and readily extracted by plugging into those three-pronged outlets, the truth is electricity must be generated elsewhere and sent by wire to your house.
That electricity most often comes from plants burning those hated fossil fuels such as coal, oil or natural gas. Windmills and solar power remain nice add-ons, but are nowhere near ready to handle the main load.
Nuclear power just might be pulled from the doghouse to make up the shortfall, which should put a lot of green panties in a bunch even as the wearers brag about saving the environment by driving an electric appliance.
Finally, infrastructure to recharge electric cars is sparse and decidedly unfriendly to the environment. I saw a tweet reposted on an investment thread I follow that made some huge claims. Specifically, it showed what it said was a 350 kw diesel-powered generator recharging a car, a process it said would take three hours to get a 200-mile range.
Here’s the capper: The generator burns 12 gallons of diesel per hour, so that breaks down to 36 gallons for the charge. Divide the 200-mile range by that and you get 5.55 miles per gallon! Better just to buy and drive a semi-trailer truck.
It seemed incredible, so I did some internet research of my own and, yes, that level of generator burns a lot of diesel – some even use more than the claimed 12 gallons an hour for the pictured unit.
Electric vehicles continue to be a case of over-promising and under-delivering. There’s a reason Tesla makes a profit solely on the basis of selling carbon credits to other manufacturers and, more lately, trading crypto currencies such as Bitcoin.
Simply put, electric vehicles are not ready for prime time usage across this country; not as the primary means of transportation. They pollute more if you look at the total picture, put strains on electric generation capacity, and their performance claims do not hold up in extreme weather.
This doesn’t even consider those Tesla vehicles bursting into flames while parked or being driven, or the tendency of the batteries to fuel incineration of passengers in the event of accidents.
If you want to save the environment, forget the electric car and begin walking, or taking public transportation. And spare us the calls to worship at the feet of Musk and his ilk.
Sam Ross Jr's site 