Electric vehicles are widely regarded as a simple, clean climate change solution. In fact, it is inefficient, relies on massive subsidies and leaves few traces of pollution and death. [emphasis, links added]
Climate activists and politicians keep reminding us that electric cars are cleaner, cheaper and better. Canada and many other countries have pledged to ban the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles within a decade.
But if electric cars are really so good, why do we need to ban alternatives?
Why does Canada need to subsidize every electric vehicle from the federal and provincial governments?
Many people are not sold on the idea of electric cars because they are worried that they must carefully plan when and where to charge. They don't want to wait long while charging.
And they don't want to pay a premium for electric cars with used car values that drop faster. Charging can be a real challenge for people who don’t enjoy their own house.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the survey only shows that 15% of Canadians and 11% of Americans want to buy electric cars.
The main environmental point of sale of electric vehicles is that they are not polluted. But while their engines do not produce carbon dioxide when driving, they do emit carbon in other ways.
Making them generates emissions, especially producing batteries, which requires a lot of energy, mostly achieved with coal in China.
As a result, even electric cars charged in BC's clean power supply will send out about one-third of the equivalent gasoline cars in their lifetime. When charged in Alberta, it will emit nearly three-quarters.
In some parts of the world – India is an example – coal originates from coal, so that electric vehicles eventually launch more carbon dioxide than gasoline cars.
Worldwide, the International Energy Agency estimates that electric vehicles using global power combinations for their lifespan will emit nearly half of carbon dioxide, which is gasoline-powered cars, saving about 22 tons of carbon dioxide.
However, using electric vehicles to cut emissions is very ineffective. On the longest carbon trading system in the United States, you can buy 22 tons of carbon emissions for about $660 ($460).
However, Ottawa is subsidizing $5,000 per electric vehicle, almost 10 times – which would increase if provincial subsidies were included.
And, since about half of electric cars will be purchased anyway, Canada may spend nearly 20 times the CO2 [vehicles].
Another problem: All these estimates assume electric cars drive to gasoline cars. But they are not.
In the United States, 9 out of ten households with electric vehicles also have one, two or more non-EVs, including in most cases, SUVs, trucks or minivans.
And electric vehicles are usually driven less than half of other vehicles, which means a much smaller reduction in CO2 emissions. Subsidized electric vehicles are often the “second” car that the rich showcase their environmental certificates.
Due to the huge battery, electric cars are also 320–440 kg heavier than equivalent gasoline cars, meaning they wear out faster and make society more loss.
They also cause more air pollution by chopping more particulate matter from additional braking use, tires and road wear. No one denies internal combustion vehicle pollution. But electric cars have contaminated tires and road wear in total, and forced more power plants online, often the most polluted.
A recent study found that electric vehicles cause the most dangerous particulate air pollution in two-thirds of the U.S. states.
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