Quote:
Originally Posted by BavarianHorde
I am by no means an expert on the subject, but wouldn't making and using electric cars just replace the non-renewable resource? I suppose it depends on the way that electricity is made.
My thinking is that it would use more energy, so you would have to burn more coal, or would have to build more hydro electric dams that would harm the environment. So you are not really winning.
I don't know. I am just wondering...
|
Right now, let's say you've got a hydro dam powering a town. The amount of electricity the dam generates is geared for the maximum amount the town consumes during peak times (varies from one region and season to the next, but often early evening). During the rest of the day, the hydro system is producing a lot of energy that just becomes wasted: it goes out onto the grid, but nobody is using it.
Now, let's say you've got a hundred electric cars out there with really good battery systems: they draw all that otherwise wasted energy and save it. If the grid is designed properly, the cars don't draw power during peak usage, so no additional sources of power are needed.