They barely improve noise pollution, the loudest factor on a moving car are the tires.
If you use electricity out of a coal powered power plant you just outsource the air pollution. And I can’t imagine that it is healthy to live around a the mines that are needed to get all the ressources to build the battery and the car itself.
This is worse then ‘nothing is perfect’, this is lying to yourself to continue to fuck up the planet and fuck up people who are not you. Congratulations on your “cleaner city”.
Edit: maybe tell me where I am wrong instead of just downvoting. I think I have a valid point to diskuss.
Clearly you don’t live near a road where V8s and muffler less cars fly by. And Coal Powered plants are going extinct everywhere except China. Even in my Oil and Gas State, the local power company is building out a solar farm.
So your point is the world will be fine as soon as every person on earth drives an EV? We have a systematic problem and people get hung on the point of EVs vs. combustion engine cars. This should not be the question, they both suck in their own way.
Your footprint is massive if you get rid of your combustion engine car and buy an EV just for the sake of driving an EV. Better would be: get rid of your car entirely (if poasible) and buy a good bike.
And I belive it is already possible for many people and pure convenience is holding them back, while the world burns. And they buy EVs and pat themselfes on the shoulder, as ‘I am not the problem, the dirty combustion engines destroy the world’. Wrong direction of thinking, if you want to better the environment and life quality.
Your comment raises some valid points about the environmental impact of electric vehicles (EVs), but there are a few misconceptions that need to be addressed.
Firstly, regarding noise pollution, while it’s true that tire noise can be a significant source of noise from a moving car, especially at higher speeds, it’s not accurate to say that EVs barely improve noise pollution. EVs are generally quieter than conventional vehicles, especially at lower speeds. This can significantly reduce noise pollution in urban areas, where speeds are often low.
Secondly, the point about electricity from coal-powered plants is a common argument, but it oversimplifies the issue. Yes, if an EV is charged using electricity from a coal-powered plant, it’s effectively outsourcing some of its emissions. However, the overall emissions are still typically lower than those from conventional vehicles. Furthermore, the electricity grid is getting cleaner over time as we shift towards renewable sources, which will further reduce the emissions from EVs.
As for the environmental impact of mining for resources to build batteries and cars, this is indeed a concern. However, it’s important to note that conventional vehicles also require resource extraction for their production, and the extraction and refining of oil for fuel is a major source of environmental damage. Moreover, the battery production process is becoming more efficient, and there are ongoing efforts to improve the recycling of batteries.
Lastly, the assertion that advocating for EVs is “lying to yourself to continue to fuck up the planet and fuck up people who are not you” is a rather harsh judgement. While it’s true that EVs are not a perfect solution and have their own environmental impact, they are generally considered a step in the right direction towards reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change.
Thank you for your answer! My points are a result of my thoughts without looking anything up. You are much more thorough.
So EVs are loud, but ICEs are louder.
The production of EVs is dirty, but producing and running ICEs is dirtier.
Running ICEs now could damage the nature, because a lot of power is still produced with coal, but the future will fix it.
EVs are better than ICEs. But saying that EVs are a step in the right direction feels very wrong. We have one big problem - ‘car infrastructure’. And giving the avarage Joe/Jane the idea, that they can better the world by using EVs is a waste of time and energy that could be used to go in a much better direction: public transport, bikes, well planned cities. I don’t think Joe wants to sell his new EV, even if he had alternatives, and he will continue to vote for more roads and parking spaces.
But compromises are important: I would recommend everyone, who HAS to use a car with no alternatives and whose car is not up to good environment standards anymore, to buy an EV instead of an ICE.
in a perfect world cars would disappear all together I agree. But for the short term we need to not let perfect be the enemy of good. People aren’t giving up their cars anytime soon, but maybe we can shepherd them into a slightly less shitty version for the time being. Plus having EVs and more solar on roofs will speed up our ability to reduce our coal addiction, which right now is the biggest threat to humanity.
Hopefully we’ll see the transition largely away from cars in time with better public infrastructure. it’s a complex problem.
Where I live I feel like I’m encountering more and more cars that have been modded to be VERY loud by replacing their exhaust pipes, adding exhaust tips, etc. Just about every time I’m driving on a highway I seem to spot cars like this…
They certainly improve noise and air pollution gigantically, Christ knows how fecked I am having to grow up around cars.
Obviously nothings perfect, but I’ll take a world of EVs over a world of combustion vehicles.
They barely improve noise pollution, the loudest factor on a moving car are the tires. If you use electricity out of a coal powered power plant you just outsource the air pollution. And I can’t imagine that it is healthy to live around a the mines that are needed to get all the ressources to build the battery and the car itself.
This is worse then ‘nothing is perfect’, this is lying to yourself to continue to fuck up the planet and fuck up people who are not you. Congratulations on your “cleaner city”.
Edit: maybe tell me where I am wrong instead of just downvoting. I think I have a valid point to diskuss.
Clearly you don’t live near a road where V8s and muffler less cars fly by. And Coal Powered plants are going extinct everywhere except China. Even in my Oil and Gas State, the local power company is building out a solar farm.
So your point is the world will be fine as soon as every person on earth drives an EV? We have a systematic problem and people get hung on the point of EVs vs. combustion engine cars. This should not be the question, they both suck in their own way.
Your footprint is massive if you get rid of your combustion engine car and buy an EV just for the sake of driving an EV. Better would be: get rid of your car entirely (if poasible) and buy a good bike.
And I belive it is already possible for many people and pure convenience is holding them back, while the world burns. And they buy EVs and pat themselfes on the shoulder, as ‘I am not the problem, the dirty combustion engines destroy the world’. Wrong direction of thinking, if you want to better the environment and life quality.
My point is that EVs are quiet. There’s no additional engine noise.
A two ton vehicle going over asphalt above 30 km/h is certainly not quiet. A bike is quiet.
Your comment raises some valid points about the environmental impact of electric vehicles (EVs), but there are a few misconceptions that need to be addressed.
Firstly, regarding noise pollution, while it’s true that tire noise can be a significant source of noise from a moving car, especially at higher speeds, it’s not accurate to say that EVs barely improve noise pollution. EVs are generally quieter than conventional vehicles, especially at lower speeds. This can significantly reduce noise pollution in urban areas, where speeds are often low.
Secondly, the point about electricity from coal-powered plants is a common argument, but it oversimplifies the issue. Yes, if an EV is charged using electricity from a coal-powered plant, it’s effectively outsourcing some of its emissions. However, the overall emissions are still typically lower than those from conventional vehicles. Furthermore, the electricity grid is getting cleaner over time as we shift towards renewable sources, which will further reduce the emissions from EVs.
As for the environmental impact of mining for resources to build batteries and cars, this is indeed a concern. However, it’s important to note that conventional vehicles also require resource extraction for their production, and the extraction and refining of oil for fuel is a major source of environmental damage. Moreover, the battery production process is becoming more efficient, and there are ongoing efforts to improve the recycling of batteries.
Lastly, the assertion that advocating for EVs is “lying to yourself to continue to fuck up the planet and fuck up people who are not you” is a rather harsh judgement. While it’s true that EVs are not a perfect solution and have their own environmental impact, they are generally considered a step in the right direction towards reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change.
Citations: [1] When we switch to electric vehicles everything is going … https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/comments/oqpalp/when_we_switch_to_electric_vehicles_everything_is/ [2] Noise is all around us https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024887 [3] Electric cars noise pollution https://www.fastcompany.com/90774779/heres-what-science-says-about-electric-cars-and-their-impact-on-noise-pollution [4] Answers https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/international-schools/pdfs/ilower-secondary/exploring-science-international/ExploringScienceInternationalAnswers/int_esws_at_y7_ap_sb_answers_ttpp.pdf [5] How far do I need to be from a highway/parkway to no … https://ask.metafilter.com/271697/How-far-do-I-need-to-be-from-a-highway-parkway-to-no-longer-hear-it [6] Answers SP1a Vectors and scalars https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1584024880/sydenhamlewishamschuk/agtqfqee1mgv0nnk165x/SP1andSP2answers.pdf
Thank you for your answer! My points are a result of my thoughts without looking anything up. You are much more thorough.
So EVs are loud, but ICEs are louder. The production of EVs is dirty, but producing and running ICEs is dirtier. Running ICEs now could damage the nature, because a lot of power is still produced with coal, but the future will fix it.
EVs are better than ICEs. But saying that EVs are a step in the right direction feels very wrong. We have one big problem - ‘car infrastructure’. And giving the avarage Joe/Jane the idea, that they can better the world by using EVs is a waste of time and energy that could be used to go in a much better direction: public transport, bikes, well planned cities. I don’t think Joe wants to sell his new EV, even if he had alternatives, and he will continue to vote for more roads and parking spaces.
But compromises are important: I would recommend everyone, who HAS to use a car with no alternatives and whose car is not up to good environment standards anymore, to buy an EV instead of an ICE.
in a perfect world cars would disappear all together I agree. But for the short term we need to not let perfect be the enemy of good. People aren’t giving up their cars anytime soon, but maybe we can shepherd them into a slightly less shitty version for the time being. Plus having EVs and more solar on roofs will speed up our ability to reduce our coal addiction, which right now is the biggest threat to humanity.
Hopefully we’ll see the transition largely away from cars in time with better public infrastructure. it’s a complex problem.
Where I live I feel like I’m encountering more and more cars that have been modded to be VERY loud by replacing their exhaust pipes, adding exhaust tips, etc. Just about every time I’m driving on a highway I seem to spot cars like this…