- #1
neanderthalphysics
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- TL;DR Summary
- Are they really worth it?
I have been thinking about electric cars from an engineering point of view. I came to the conclusion that they are not worth it, for a number of reasons I will list below. What do you guys think?
1) Energy to charge the batteries must come from somewhere.
If the source of the energy is nuclear, fair enough, the energy source has no carbon footprint. But if the source of energy is from an gas/oil power plant, you are exchanging one fossil fuel engine for another one. The power plant is probably more efficient especially if it is a combined heat & power plant, but still.
2) Batteries age
Gas or diesel can sit happy in storage tanks for hundreds of years. Batteries age; any charge held in them is lost over time and furthermore, over time they lose their maximum charge level.
3) Safety of batteries
Batteries are basically sealed units with both the oxidizing + reducing agents mixed together in intimate contact. Which means the potential for a runaway reaction is there, waiting for a trigger. Gas or diesel tanks just contain fuel. Almost empty gas tanks contain fuel + oxidizer.
In any event, in an accident, the oxidizer for a gas/diesel powered car must come from the environment. For an electric vehicle, it is all there, pre- and well mixed. It will be very difficult to make the battery compartment of an electric vehicle immune to all sorts of damage which you might get in a conceivable lifetime - crushing damage, piercing, fires, etc.
4) Lifetime carbon footprint of producing batteries
Has anyone looked at whether the lifetime carbon footprint of mining lithium and producing the batteries is worth it?
IMHO the future fuel for cars is hydrogen.
1) Energy to charge the batteries must come from somewhere.
If the source of the energy is nuclear, fair enough, the energy source has no carbon footprint. But if the source of energy is from an gas/oil power plant, you are exchanging one fossil fuel engine for another one. The power plant is probably more efficient especially if it is a combined heat & power plant, but still.
2) Batteries age
Gas or diesel can sit happy in storage tanks for hundreds of years. Batteries age; any charge held in them is lost over time and furthermore, over time they lose their maximum charge level.
3) Safety of batteries
Batteries are basically sealed units with both the oxidizing + reducing agents mixed together in intimate contact. Which means the potential for a runaway reaction is there, waiting for a trigger. Gas or diesel tanks just contain fuel. Almost empty gas tanks contain fuel + oxidizer.
In any event, in an accident, the oxidizer for a gas/diesel powered car must come from the environment. For an electric vehicle, it is all there, pre- and well mixed. It will be very difficult to make the battery compartment of an electric vehicle immune to all sorts of damage which you might get in a conceivable lifetime - crushing damage, piercing, fires, etc.
4) Lifetime carbon footprint of producing batteries
Has anyone looked at whether the lifetime carbon footprint of mining lithium and producing the batteries is worth it?
IMHO the future fuel for cars is hydrogen.
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