• labsin@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    A Prius will definitely pollute less than the typical SUV electric cars on a coal grid.

    Cause:

    • Efficiency of coal power plant and all losses are as bad as ICE cars. The EVs do thermal->mechanical->electrical->grid->battery->wheels and if you count them all up, is not better than an EV

    • Prius is designed for low drag unlike an SUV

    • Prius had regenerative braking like an EV

    But just the numbers:

    • Prius is rated at 94g/kg

    • Coal 950g/kwh

    • Volvo c40 0.2kwh/km or 190g/km even without losses

    I took Volvo cause they published a report with a good compare ev and ICE https://www.volvocars.com/images/v/-/media/market-assets/intl/applications/dotcom/pdf/c40/volvo-c40-recharge-lca-report.pdf

    Even with the current EU energy mix, it takes 77’000 km to be better than ICE, so arguably better. On coal electricity, they are worse. And this is comparing equally sized cars, a Prius will do better.

    • RubberElectrons@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Sorry sorry. Where are you getting the “all losses are equivalent to ice engine inefficiency”?

      I don’t expect you to be an ME/EE, but there’s a lot of variables in that calculation, I’d just like to clarify for everyone here what you mean.

      • labsin@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        I put very minimal calculation which at least puts it around the same order and linked a report by Volvo where they try to count the whole cycle of a car with the emissions of the production and transport of used parts and fuels.

        On current electricity mix, an electric car is only slightly better on a CO2 emissions. With only renewables, it can be 2x better.

        But the statement that in China it’s at least better than a Prius is just wrong. Until renewables take a serious share of the grid, a smaller well engineered hybrid is not worse.