Monday, October 10, 2011

Climateer Headline of the Day: "Scant CO2 Benefit from China’s Coal-Powered Electric Cars"

-Andy Revkin at the New York Times' Dot Earth blog:
Much has been made of China’s big push to build and deploy 1 million electric vehicles a year by 2015. The move will help cut smog and oil imports. Less has been made of the scant impact this is likely to have on the country’s emissions of carbon dioxide, given its enduring reliance on coal for most of its electricity. Here’s a “Your Dot” contribution describing the situation from Lucia Green-Weiskel, who has worked in China for the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation and co-authored a report on electric vehicles there for the United Nations.

She explains that in all but three grid regions in China, electric vehicles produce more CO2 per mile because of the coal source for the power than the equivalent gasoline-powered car...MORE
See also:
"Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank"
The status quo of electric cars: better batteries, same range
Electric Vehicles: Same Range as 1908, Wheee!