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“Cool It” author Bjorn Lomborg on the CO2 emissions from the production and use of electric cars.
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And it got me.
Dot electric cars I heard mr.
founder of the hybrid car company -- -- just quit his post.
This news comes just short of one year after the government froze hundreds of millions of dollars in loans for the company.
Despite these setbacks federal subsidies are still being doled out.
To -- collector car buyers joining me measured.
Secret behind electric cars in a box business.
Well there.
And one of time magazine's 100 most influential people of the world your Lombard welcome back to the show it to be even so -- -- dirty little secret behind electric cars.
Well fundamentally everybody believes electric cars don't -- any CO2 well actually they do partly when you produce the car.
The battery takes up a lot of fossil fuels so fundamentally.
When you produce the car it's like Cuba we've driven at 80000 miles 80000 miles so you really have to drive it -- -- it's actually more efficient when you're driving to -- -- gasoline car.
But you have to drive very far in Orange actually get it affect just the manufacturing of the batteries that may -- about -- out of car that's the whole thing.
But it's substantially more than what Eric conventional card only emits about 141000.
Pounds compared to about 30000 pounds of CO2 so -- -- well ahead of your missions.
So you really have to rake up the miles before you actually even that out -- -- -- -- -- until you've driven the car for 80000 miles how well you've got a -- actually -- to get up to about 60000 miles -- and -- after you -- reduce emissions a little bit but nowhere -- this -- -- zero.
Emissions because you still plug it into -- -- where you get it from fossil fuels mostly in most of America.
So the fundamental point is even if you drive and a very long while about 90000 miles and in total.
You will emit about nine tons of CO2 less you know how much fast worth now Hamas 44 dollars in avoided global warming damage.
While 44 dollars -- an extra money all that extra effort and we paid 7500.
Dollars and a lot of other things -- in subsidies.
This doesn't mean that the electric cars and a great idea in the long run but it's not a good idea right now yeah it's just it's just not the clean machine that everyone thinks it is and this actually very common when you're talking about any kind of green energy.
As that whenever somebody is out -- sort of calculating how much to reduces the carbon footprint or how clean it actually is they almost never take into account.
-- how much energy was used in the production of that whether we're talking about wind turbines -- we're talking about solar panels.
Nobody ever wants to talk about the production how much energy is used in the production how much emissions -- are the production the cost that goes into it.
And then also the power -- as a power come from.
That you used it to -- that is generated in order to do make these things or to charge the battery -- Yeah and and of course for solar panels -- wind turbines.
The big issues what do you do when the sun doesn't China when the wind doesn't blow you still need to have backup -- and -- sense you're buying the power twice -- both buying.
The wind turbine but you're also buying the gas fired turbines and turbine units backing up -- -- -- the wind -- blowing -- you're huge article about this what is the response been like oh it's been huge and I think a lot of people.
Like the argument obviously the people who were arguing for driving cars I'm.
I'm sure could put a number of the people who are driving electric cars have been saying oh.
But if you drive it much much longer there's some studies out there that shows you can drive -- 480000.
Miles and then actually pays back really well that's true.
But you have to -- -- last -- 180 at some point.
The indecent the -- be -- Nissan.
Can only drive 73 miles so you really have to be made then you have to get back in and to -- -- so you really have to drive it very very heavily and of course -- Battering declines just like your cellphone you know if -- recharge -- of the -- years you'll only be able to drive about 55 miles an they've been told and you have to go back and plug -- in.
So eventually have to buy new battery even if you keep and then of course start relevant and yet not all about name -- -- while.
RIP -- -- -- so much for coming -- we appreciate your time next.
