Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Green Daily, UK
Think that plugging in your vehicle will protect the earth? Sure, this was the message that EPRI and the NRDC sent following a 2008 study that found that, if 60 percent of the U.S. fleet of light vehicles converted to plug-ins by 2050, CO2 emissions would drop by 450 million metric tons annually (the same as taking 82 million cars off the road) while electricity consumption would increase only eight percent.
Not everyone is convinced that plugs are the answer. The Environmental Transport Association in the UK, for example, believes that switching to electric cars could increase the rate of climate change, depending on how the electricity is created. Like the Natural Resources Defense Council report last year that found that PHEVs will add to pollution levels if the grid remains coal-centered, the ETA’s statement warns that a shift from gasoline to electrons needs to be accompanied by a change in how we generate our electricity. Looking at how EU rules handles emissions, the ETA found that, if the regulations don’t change, “sales of electric cars are likely to result in higher overall CO2 emissions and oil consumption.” The ETA’s soundbite for the report: if you’re using coal to make electricy, then standard hybrids are better than plug-ins.
In the past, the ETA opposed a cash-for-clunkers-like plan in the UK. Each year, the ETA also organizes a Green Transport Week.
[Source: ETA]
Continue reading ETA says plug-in cars could “speed climate change” unless we get off coal
ETA says plug-in cars could “speed climate change” unless we get off coal originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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