DISQUS

flylyf: THE MINI E - Emissions free all-electric car

  • Hudson · 1 year ago
    While this is a big improvement over gas-powered vehicles, electric cars cannot properly be called "emissions-free," because emissions result from the production of electricity. And most of the electricity in our country comes from coal-fired power plants.

    So while you will not see the result of your driving habits in local emissions (unless you live next to a power plant), some other part of the country will be getting emissions when you "fuel" up.
  • Cait · 1 year ago
    They're certainly not the first... if you look more closely, electric cars were around maybe five years ago, in California. But the oil companies weren't ready for them, and when the leases were up on the car, the companies collected them and had them all compacted.
  • Reynier Molenaar · 1 year ago
    Hudson,

    What you're saying has nothing to do with the car. This car is just one part of the puzzle. By having a 100% electric car, it makes it POSSIBLE to have 100% emission-free transportation. If someone is powering their house by Solar or Wind energy, then driving this car is in fact putting 0 emissions into the atmosphere.

    I think what you should be focussing on is getting governments to clean up electric plants, find new ways to generate clean energy and promote research into green tech, rather than bad-mouthing a very admirable step on the journey to a cleaner planet.
  • LeFiffre · 1 year ago
    Correct, Hudson. But the central generation equation works out to be cleaner than individual combustion engines, and much more economically, too. It also leaves open the option for some people to install PV and/or wind turbines to "gas up" their vehicle.
  • Sean · 1 year ago
    I've heard that chestnut before. The truth is, emissions coming out of one power plant can be (and are) regulated much more effectively than emissions coming out of twenty thousand separate automobiles.

    Electric is the future. Either get on board or get out of the way.
  • April · 1 year ago
    Although Hudson is quite right that our electricity comes from non-renewable sources like coal and nuclear power. The MINI E is about giving us options that will hopefully in the near future, well at least before I die, push gas guzzling monsters like the Hummers off the road. While the MINI E won't do much to off set the global human carbon footprint, it'll reduce each owner's carbon footprint while promoting development of new energy efficient technology to replace our high energy consuming tech.
  • Mal · 1 year ago
    So, say I want to make the trip down to see my folks and I jump in my fully charged electric car and set off. The distance is approx. 750 miles and takes me a little under a days driving in a normal car that can travel at a decent speed continuously.
    But wait, the battery will only get me 150 miles down the road at best before it needs recharging.
    Most of the trip is across vaste unpopulated distances.
    So I need to make sure I run out of power near a recharging point, need to recharge 4 times en route. Charging is usually done overnight while you sleep, so we can assume it takes a few hours.
    Looks like my one day trip is going to take me days in an electric car world.
  • a · 1 year ago
    So... according to Hudson, if we all want to be truly emissions free, we all need to walk, run and/or ride our bicycles everywhere. Because that would wonderful for those who commute more than 5 or 10 miles to work. I hope when I breathe out the carbon dioxide doesn't offend him too. Really people, I'd say this is a good 1st step and face it, we will never be 100% emissions free.