An interesting article in the NZ Herald today on electric vehicles:
Sorry, EVs won’t save the planet says study
A British study has labelled as a “myth” the idea that a wholesale switch to electric cars (EVs) would automatically reduce CO2 emissions and dependence on oil.
The British Environmental Transport Association (ETA) report found that while EVs offer significant potential environmental benefits, these would be wholly dependent on changes in the way electricity was generated, energy-taxed and CO2 emissions regulated.
For example, it said that under the current EU emissions trading system, sales of electric cars are likely to result in higher overall CO2 emissions and oil consumption.
ETA director Andrew Davis said: “While the report is not intended to dampen enthusiasm for electric vehicles, their introduction should not be viewed as a panacea – significant changes to the way we produce and tax power are needed before we will reap any benefits.”
Britain still gets most of its electricity from burning fossil fuel. Natural gas plants provide 53 per cent of British electricity, coal 44 per cent, oil 2 per cent, and others, including nuclear, 1 per cent.
In New Zealand, electricity is largely generated from hydro, gas, coal and geothermal resources.
The ETA report highlighted key findings:
* Performance: Electric cars powered by wind or solar energy are obviously superior, but if the electricity comes from coal, hybrid cars perform better.
* Price: There is potential for improvement in performance and reduction of costs in the medium-term, but not enough to suggest electric cars could compete head-on with conventional vehicles within the next two decades.
* CO2 emissions: The EU emissions trading system implies that plug-in electric cars would not increase CO2 emissions, because the power sector is covered by the scheme. However, if this trading scheme remains unchanged, sales of electric cars are likely to result in higher overall CO2 emissions and oil consumption.
* Popularity: Low running costs of electric vehicles would lead to more demand for car transport, and make necessary the taxation of electricity. On-board metering of electricity use would be a key requirement.
* National Grid: Even if the (British) National Grid has the capacity and the basic infrastructure to meet the needs of electric cars, the new demand patterns they will create may mean increased use of coal and nuclear power.
The report says it is unlikely that electric vehicles will number more than 25 per cent of new sales by 2050, but in order to speed the uptake of the technology and manage the transition, it recommends three measures: a stringent CO2 standard for cars, on-board metering of electricity use and de-carbonising the power sector.
“The best way to promote electric-powered transport is to tighten long-term CO2 standards for cars, from 120g/km in EU countries by 2012 to 80g/km by 2020, and 60g/km by 2025, while increasing fuel taxes,” it says.
“A lack of stringent CO2 standards removes the main incentive for the motor industry to invest in electrification.”
It says road-tax exemption and grants for electric cars should be abolished: “Electric cars must be rewarded for their energy efficiency, not for moving emissions from exhaust pipes to power station chimneys.”
France’s Citroen is the latest mainstream carmaker to launch an EV city car. Called the C-Zero, it will go on sale in France late next year. France produces most of its electricty from nuclear plants.
The C-Zero will be a sister-model to Peugeot’s iOn electric car, unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show. Both cars are based on Mitsubishi’s plug-in i-MiEV.
The four-seat C-Zero has an electric motor that delivers 47kW, and is powered by a 330-volt lithium-ion battery system with 88 cells mounted in the centre of the car.
The car’s battery system can be fully charged from a domestic power outlet in six hours, or up to 80 per cent of its charge in 30 minutes.
The car has a 166-litre capacity boot, a top speed of 130km/h, and a range of around 130km.
Mitsubishi’s plug-in i-MiEV – the first electric vehicle to receive Australian Design Rule approval – is already doing the test rounds in New Zealand, and will arrive in greater numbers over the next two years.
Nissan’s plug-in EV hatchback, the Leaf, is expected to be available for lease in Auckland by 2011, through car rental company Europcar.
Nissan expects the five-door will cost around $37,500 and command monthly repayments and running costs on par with a same-sized family hatchback. Toyota NZ is planning to trial a plug-in version of the latest hybrid Prius next year.
I have always been a bit suspicious of the utmost faith put in electric vehicles to solve the problems presented by peak oil and climate change. While New Zealand is in a better position than many European countries for electric vehicles to have positive environmental effects – because we generate more of our power from non-polluting sources – there are still many many issues relating to the environmental effects of building the cars, the high-price of electric vehicles and longer term issues relating to the scarcity of the materials that go into their batteries.
Oh, and of course electric vehicles will still get congested, still lead to the perceived need to build more roads and ruin our cities, and so on…
Processing...
I think the really big issue is the one you mention about the scarceness of the materials needed for powerful batteries, they ain’t called RARE earth metals for nothing…
Indeed, electric cars are probably a 20 year solution and that’s about it.
Electric cars may reduce dependence upon oil and result in less local pollution, but they won’t necessarily do anything for dependence upon fossil fuels or reduce carboun output overall.
Apart from that side of things electric powered cars aren’t going to do anything about traffic congestion, car dependence or the consumption of land for roading purposes.
Perhaps Jarbury you should forward this article to David Bennett. He might find it enlightening, actually while you are at it send it to Stephen Joyce as well.
One hopes they read the NZ Herald, but good point!
The fact is from producing the electricity, we have the same problem in the form electric trains, where is the power coming from?
The benefit of electric vehicles is the power source can come from where you want it, so effectively you can argue that the electric power you are receiving can be as clean as you want it. Which for New Zealand is a very good thing, as not only is the majority of our power already clean, but we are making great advances in producing new power technology, including ‘wave power’, ‘current power’ etc.
I believe that electric cars are apart of the solution concerning CO2, congestion is a totally different matter which is the reason I avocatie public transport. The stance I take on the matter is that electric cars is actually a step towards changing our habits on how we produce power, putting more pressure on the governments to regulate and tax the higher CO2 producing power sources. How it works in reality could be higly different however.
I could be quite wrong as I am not an mechanical engineer, but I estimated that on a raw-energy basis, +1 Manpouri size power source would be required to run Auckland’s transport if it remained as inefficient as it is now. I guess that is within the bounds of possibility?
apl: An interesting question, so I tried to answer it. The pipeline from the Marsden Pt refinery to Auckland carried 17.877 million barrels of fuel in 2008, according to NZ Refining Co’s annual report. That’s about 106 petajoules.
Assuming that
– the fuel-to-wheel efficiency of internal-combustion-engined vehicles is 25%
– the plug-to-wheel efficiency of electric vehicles is 80%
– the power transmission grid has losses of 10%
completely replacing the refinery pipeline would require additional power generation of 37 PJ per annum, or about 1200 average megawatts. Manapouri has about 800 MW capacity, although of course its average production is less than this.
Switching all of NZ to electric cars would involve an increase of maybe 75% in the size of the electricity industry. That looks feasible enough, over several decades. I can certainly see why the power companies are interested.
And that’s why the solution is use less energy rather than trying to replace it because the alternatives just aren’t good enough
Tidal power in Cook Strait will save us!
Electric cars are useful in small doses, and can be beneficial for the environment. However, they cannot, and should not, be used to replace cars on the mass scale. We need more efficient long distance transportation systems for cargo and passengers, such as electrified rail.
http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/10/electric-cars-in-small-doses.html
Thanks for the link, however it’s not like everyone is going to dump their current vehicles and buy electric vehicles in a mass effect, it will be business as normal, however when it come to buying a new car we are buying electric rather than fuel, so really we are just replacing what we are already producing, with no extra vehicle construction.
We will always need a combination of personal vehicles and public transport, road freight and rail freight, it’s how we manage these as an overall transportation system.