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Originally Posted by wbradley
I think what they are saying is the combination of producing the batteries along with the carbon positive origin of the electrical power is not the clean we think it is. It might create less carbon per mile but it's not the zero emissions we actually see. Whether the result is reduced net carbon, the use of batteries introduces another issue. In my mind a long lived, possibly modular and reusable fuel cell system is the way to go. Continue to clean up the grid generation and set up hydrogen facilities in urbanized areas first. When are the limited-run fuel cell fleets from Toyota and Honda expanding and what was the biggest resistance before the pandemic?
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hydrogen is a fools errand. electric has a higher viability, despite the limited rare earth materials it currently requires. all the tanks have a hard expiration date 10 years after production. hydrogen leaks out of everything. and currently, the best way to get it is by burning water using natural gas.
while there are methods to use solar/wind power to break down water, they don't appear to be extremely viable at this time. water might be plentiful, but there was a time where oil was considered plentiful as well. once it's gone, it ain't coming back. and water is a little more important than oil...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pouncer
Sigh. Leaving aside people who power their Teslas with rooftop solar, back in 2018, 32% of the electricity produced in California was renewable (+9% nuclear). There were times last year when we hit 59% generation from solar alone. State law requires 50% renewables by 2025, 60% by 2030, and 100% by 2045. All new homes are required to be net-zero energy use, along with all new commercial buildings starting in 2030, plus 50% of existing commercial buildings by 2030. Europe and other advanced countries are on a similar track. I won't even bother discussing the environmental damage caused by fracking.
People who equate EVs with ICE emissions are out of touch with reality as it stands today, never mind the future. I'm pretty sure the car I buy this year will be the last ICE I'll ever own.
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in california. in the midwest, i'm currently working on 3 new houses. solar capability is outright unheard of in my area. there's 3 houses in 200 miles that have solar panels on their roofs. solar is mostly state-funded feel-good projects around me. the weather is too crappy here to get any meaningful gains out of it. and no one is cleaning the panels off in the dead of winter to keep them operating at peak efficiency.
i'm a supporter of diversity. i don't think there is any reason to outright abandon the established ICE methods simply because we just recently came up with a viable alternative.