An electric car is not an indulgence, although it may be a step down the right road. It does not let you off the hook for the carbon sins of your generation, so park that smile for now. Some energy in that battery still comes from non-renewable resources, and your vehicle arrives with loads of carbon debt. Electric cars do not forgive carbon sins. Although they do begin to pay off the obligation.
More Reasons Why Electric Cars Do Not Forgive Carbon Sins
There is nothing noxious coming out of my exhaust pipe you may say. All my electricity comes from a local solar grid, so I am perfectly green. Okay fair enough, you may be one of the lucky few. But what about the embedded carbon in the fabric of your car?
Think of the industrial plant that shaped, and stamped, and assembled all the components that went to making up your electric vehicle. How carbon-free was the electricity they used? And speaking of that, where did the minerals and other materials come from. Electric cars do not forgive carbon sins no matter how hard we wish they would.
You will therefore have to drive a fair distance on your green electrical energy, before your debt is settled. And that’s before we even consider the carbon that went into the roads and bridges you use. However, not even that is sufficient reason for you to trade in your electric vehicle, because we have some good news for you.
Your Electric Car Can Still Help the Planet Win
The Guardian reported on a comparative study conducted by Reuters. Scientists compared a Tesla Model 3 with a conventional Toyota Corolla to determine the break-even point.
- The Tesla Model 3 became environmentally cheaper after 8,400 miles running on pure renewable energy.
- But it needed another 5,000 miles to catch up, when running on the average U.S. electricity generation mix.
- However, if you ran your Tesla Model 3 off coal-fired electricity, you would need to drive a whopping 70,000 miles.
That’s even more proof that solving the global warming crisis is a team effort. It requires a holistic push from every nation on the planet, including you and us.
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