- CarlG
Are Electric Vehicles Really The Cleaner Option?
Electric vehicles might be better than gasoline or diesel powered vehicles simply because they should always be more efficient and consume less resources in order to run. Don't forget in order to charge that EV, a power hungry power plant must digest some type of fuel so it can generate the sufficient power to charge the EV's batteries
Tesla, a renowned EV brand that revolutionized electric vehicles for generations to come.
There Is Always A Trade Off In Power.
“In order to move an object, generate electricity or any sort of heat or power, a different source of power must be exchanged. A fuel must be burned to create fire and heat, and a fuel must be burned to create power, directly or indirectly most EV's run on fossil fuels”
The Nasty Truth Behind EVs
Although in our thoughts EVs run on electricity, in order to generate such electricity some type of process must be met. Either using solar panels to turn sun rays into power, nuclear power plants, hydro power plants or good ole dirty fossil fuel, coal burning power plant.
We Are Buying Time
“EV's are as dirty if not dirtier than gasoline or diesel burning vehicles, in the sense that in order to manufacture some of their components, the carbon and geological foot prints are astronomical.”
We are buying time by limiting the use of fossil fuels, the push for EV's is hiding the fact that eventually we will run out of fossil fuels and the world might come to a stop. Some studies suggest The world has proven reserves equivalent to 46.6 times its annual consumption levels. This means it has about 47 years of oil left (at current consumption levels and excluding unproven reserves)
Realistically speaking even if we had 100 years left of fossil fuels, eventually it will run out and that is where the EV push is making it's mark and space. Eventually all coal burning power plants will be replaced by either wind turbines, hydro power plants or other sort of "cleaner and renewable" energy source.
We are yet to master this art and make electricity truly clean, from start to finish 100% clean, renewable, non toxic (when disposed of), fully recyclable power generating mediums and vehicles.
How Do We Power Our EV's And The Factory That Makes Them
There are over 3,400 fossil fuel-fired power plants in the United States.
229 operational coal-fired power stations in the United States.
The United States has the most operational nuclear reactors on the planet – 96. Together they have a capacity of 97,565 MW, and last year nuclear energy made up about 20% of the country's electricity generation.
There are about 1,450 conventional and 40 pumped-storage hydropower plants operating in the United States.

Solar Panels and Batteries
Even though solar panels are a means for renewable energy, they consume no fuel to generate power. But how are those panels made and how are they disposed of? We must ensure a safe and clean process from manufacturing to recycling, simply disposing of batteries or solar panels is not the answer.
It would take 7.85 billion individual solar panels, each providing about 350W per hour, to power the whole USA.

Wind Turbines
John Hensley, did the following math: 4.082 billion megawatt-hours (the average annual US electricity consumption) divided by 7,008 megawatt-hours of annual wind energy production per wind turbine equals approximately 583,000 onshore turbines.
We will achieve clean energy, eventually. We must keep on pursuing this dream. For our future generation's sake.