Electric Cars Don't Compute

Carbon Emissions are Public Enemy Number One

I read a column in the paper last week reporting General Motors expanding production of electric cars. They predict battery technology will increase as electric vehicles become more and more popular. The column went on to claim gasoline powered vehicles will be part of history within the next twenty-five years. Instead of pulling into a gas station, we will pull up to an electric metered outlet to have our batteries recharged.

Remember a few years ago when biofuels were going to replace petroleum? Entrepreneurs were making diesel fuel out of used French fry grease in basement labs. Experiments with seaweed proved it could be the answer to our energy needs. Federal grants funded ethanol plants throughout the corn belt, and President Obama promoted the plants as the savior of our carbon polluted atmosphere. Follow-on research, however, showed the economy of producing fuel from grain was totally dependent on government subsidies. Then it was revealed that more fuel was needed to raise the grain than was returned by the ethanol. The whole scheme collapsed in on itself and abandoned plants now dot the landscape of Iowa.

A close look at reality will show that, even though electric cars sound great, they will do little or nothing to reduce carbon emissions. Over 80 percent of the electricity generated in America is by steam generators powered by oil, natural gas, and coal. Twelve per cent of our electricity comes from hydro power and nuclear reactors, leaving only eight percent from wind, solar, and geothermal. Although there is room for expansion, there are limits. There is simply not enough suitable sites on the planet for solar and wind farms to generate more than a small part of our total need.

Electric powered cars will not reduce the other demands for electricity. We will still need to light our homes, and run our appliances, heaters and air conditioners. Every kilowatt that is used to recharge electric car batteries is an addition to our current requirements. Much of this additional electricity will be generated by burning fossil fuels. Steam turbine generators are far short of 100% efficient, therefor, more energy will be required to produce the energy for electric cars than is now used for gasoline and diesel vehicles. The bottom line is electric cars will create more pollution, not less.

Our national electric grid is old, and in many areas, overloaded. The blackouts and intermittent brownouts on the east coast do not portray a stable grid. Electric cars will result in additional pressure on an already shaky system. I would like to see a study of the effect of electric automobiles on our grid. Sometimes our elected officials refuse to explore questions that don’t support their agendas. Could lack of a study mean environmentalist politicians can’t stand the answer?

I am not opposed to electric cars. I believe science can preserve our planet. I support efforts to make our world a cleaner, healthier place. We should not, however, grab onto schemes just because they sound good. Do the studies, and get inputs from all sides of the issue before we launch programs that may be economically and environmentally ill advised.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.