> >         I just don't see the point of that car. Sure it's electric, but
> where does
> > the power come from? In many areas in the states coal burning
> plants (some
> > natural gas). I don't see why this is so much better, they are just
> shifting
> > WHERE the pollution comes from. In countries that get all their
> power from
> > renewable resources (solar, hydro, wind, etc.) then I agree with this
> > technology, otherwise I just don't see the benefit. TTYL
>
> That argument has several critical falacies, I think.  If the car itself
> uses regenerative braking, and other energy conservation devices,
> then it is
> valid on that point alone.  If you have a hybrid car, and a full electric
> car, both with the same electrical conservation amenities, and whatever
> power plant is supplying the charger is using the best energy efficiency
> techniques, and neglecting any differences due to the design of the car,
> then the net difference in terms of the environment should be nil.

        Well there are fallacies on the other end. The storage of electrical energy
is far from perfect. So, this is the chain: coal/natural gas burned, heat
water, spin turbine, make electricity, convert it to higher voltage,
transmit it along miles of cable, convert it to lower voltage, convert it to
lower voltage again, convert it a third time (maybe even a fourth time),
charge a battery, discharge a battery, spin a motor. Now, with ALL of that,
what do you think the total efficiency of that whole process is?
Regenerative braking only matters when you actually break (heavy city
traffic), it's effect is minimal for most highway travel, and even when it
has an effect it still goes through a generator, some convertor, and then
charge a battery. Plus, what about the energy used to manufacture the
batteries?

Please, don't get me wrong, I think the internal combustion engine is LONG
overdue for becoming obsolete. However, I just don't see electrical cars as
the "saviour" that some do, it simply moves the pollution somewhere else.
I'm not sure what the total efficiencies are for the whole internal
combustion engine method versus the electrical car method but I doubt it's
far apart. When comparing things like this one has to look at the WHOLE
picture, not just what you personally fill the car with.

> The benefit I see is $4.00 for electricity vs something like 5x the price
> for gas.

        Again, this is inaccurate. Supply vs. demand. If we all drove electric cars
the cost of electricity would rise, probably by quite a bit.

> BTW, What contries are actively employing solar power?  I thought that it
> hadn't really caught on, and was still in a primarily developmental stage.

        Personally I don't know of any. However there are countries that rely, on a
large part, on hydro and geothermal.

> --Brendan, who thinks that the top of every building in North
> America should
> be covered in some form of solar collector.

        I agree, localised power production is the way to go. TTYL

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