Are Cars Run On Batteries Really Practical

[roughjustice]

And where does the electricity to charge these cars come form?...In the main Fossil fuel burning power stations..

In the mean time Lithium Mining is scarring vast areas of South America and causing drinking water shortages...

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.....there's always a price to pay somewhere..

Oh and when the batteries are buggered and the car is a few years old, will it be easy to sell at say 4/5 years old when it needs thousands of pounds of new Cells? No... so it will be scrapped and cause more new cars to be manufactured.

The environmental impact of making new cars far exceeds (I suggest) any environmental saving electric cars represent.

Whereas although a Petrol or Diesel car may pollute 'more directly' if it lasts 20 years and doesn't need extra electrical generation pollution is it really so much worse?

I would be interested to see a comparison over a long term...

[Kafoozalum]

and very volatile.

a bit like petrol then?

[Ceam]

a bit like petrol then?

More so.

[roughjustice]

To be honest I see batteries as more of a risk than petrol...

The batteries only need to be stabbed or punctured by a sharp edge to combust violently (obviously that could never happen in an crash!!!)..

Petrol needs to be a vapour and ignited by a spark/flame etc...

[Ceam]

And where does the electricity to charge these cars come form?...In the main Fossil fuel burning power stations..

In the mean time Lithium Mining is scarring vast areas of South America and causing drinking water shortages...

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.....there's always a price to pay somewhere..

Oh and when the batteries are buggered and the car is a few years old, will it be easy to sell at say 4/5 years old when it needs thousands of pounds of new Cells? No... so it will be scrapped and cause more new cars to be manufactured.

The environmental impact of making new cars far exceeds (I suggest) any environmental saving electric cars represent.

Whereas although a Petrol or Diesel car may pollute 'more directly' if it lasts 20 years and doesn't need extra electrical generation pollution is it really so much worse?

I would be interested to see a comparison over a long term...

None are a great solution, But at least electricity has several sources it can come from , Environmentally friendly or not.
Once you run out of dinosaurs there is not petrol left ;-)

[said]

None are a great solution, But at least electricity has several sources it can come from , Environmentally friendly or not.
Once you run out of dinosaurs there is not petrol left ;-)

It would appear that there are even more problems. Tesla are now worth less than Ford, they have lost £millions. Whereas Mazda are working fast to produce an engine that has the power of a diesel engine but has far lower emissions. But, as pointed out - something has got to replace the fossil fuels. £Billions have been spent on research in Nuclear Power for motor fuel, which would not please the German nation as they do not like Nuclear ideas. Apart from that, perhaps horse drawn motor cars?

[Ceam]

It would appear that there are even more problems. Tesla are now worth less than Ford, they have lost £millions. Whereas Mazda are working fast to produce an engine that has the power of a diesel engine but has far lower emissions. But, as pointed out - something has got to replace the fossil fuels. £Billions have been spent on research in Nuclear Power for motor fuel, which would not please the German nation as they do not like Nuclear ideas. Apart from that, perhaps horse drawn motor cars?

Should Tesla be worth more than Ford?
Upstart car company v's one of the biggest brands in the world.


Anything that creates power can make electricity. That is the advantage it's got. coal, gas, oil, wind, wave, nuclear, hydrogen, solar, etc, etc.
Biggest issue is the scalability of creating the batteries. Tesla are building the biggest building in the world and doubling world battery production just for their cars!
https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/blog/bat...ns-gigafactory

[seivad]

Tesla are now worth less than Ford, they have lost £millions.

Amazingly enough, after losing almost $2 billion in 2017, Tesla is still worth more than Ford. As of April 3, Tesla's Market Cap is $45.2B. Ford's is $44.52.

[Albion102]

And where does the electricity to charge these cars come form?...In the main Fossil fuel burning power stations..

In the mean time Lithium Mining is scarring vast areas of South America and causing drinking water shortages...

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.....there's always a price to pay somewhere..

Oh and when the batteries are buggered and the car is a few years old, will it be easy to sell at say 4/5 years old when it needs thousands of pounds of new Cells? No... so it will be scrapped and cause more new cars to be manufactured.

The environmental impact of making new cars far exceeds (I suggest) any environmental saving electric cars represent.

Whereas although a Petrol or Diesel car may pollute 'more directly' if it lasts 20 years and doesn't need extra electrical generation pollution is it really so much worse?

I would be interested to see a comparison over a long term...

Your analysis points towards hydrogen as a fuel, as it can be generated by renewables and is non polluting. Bit of a bugger if it catches fire though.

[roughjustice]

You are right Ceam, Electricity can come from lots of sources..

I'm just not sure the National Grid could cope with say 25 Million cars all plugging in a few times a day lol...that's a lot of windmills!

And even Hydrogen needs separating from whatever compound it is bonded into..Yes it's is water but needs 'wrenching' out of there...


I blame Mr Beeching....Maybe if Railways where better/reached into communities more then less miles per capita would be necessary ?.....

[Ceam]

You are right Ceam, Electricity can come from lots of sources..

I'm just not sure the National Grid could cope with say 25 Million cars all plugging in a few times a day lol...that's a lot of windmills!

It certainly is and is something that will have to be built up over a few decades I would assume.
We have manage to deplete the earths resources of petrol in around 150 years(blink of an eye) So I guess we'll have to come up with some alternative, Sooner rather than later.