Electric cars: night-time charging better - study

Yahoo ^ | 4/18/11 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

PARIS (AFP) – Charging electric cars at night eases a smog problem caused by fossil-fuel plants which provide the power for these vehicles, researchers reported on Tuesday.

Plug-in cars are viewed as a key tool in the fight for a cleaner planet as they do not emit tailpipe pollution when they run on electricity.

But they contribute indirectly to pollution, as well as global warming, if their electricity comes from a power station that runs on coal, oil or gas.

In a study published in a British journal, scientists in the United States simulated the local impact from "plug-in hybrid electric vehicles," or PHEVs, which are cars that can switch from battery power to petrol.

Their computer model was based on predictions for 2018 of emissions of nitrogen oxides, the basic ingredient for ground-level ozone, in four major cities in Texas: Dallas/Forth Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

Power generation for this grid in 2009 was provided by gas (46 percent), coal (35 percent), nuclear (13 percent) and wind (4.5 percent).

The study compared likely pollution levels when 20 percent of mileage in the region was carried out either by PHEVs or by vehicles that were only petrol-powered.

Regardless of the scenario, ozone pollution improved when PHVs were used, because they did not emit nitrogen oxides.

As for when PHEVs should be recharged, the paper found it was smarter to plug in the vehicle at night.

Extra demand from fossil-fuel power stations at night did cause levels of nitrogen oxides to rise compared to the typically shorter recharging periods in daytime.

But much of the gas emitted at night time had dissipated by daybreak. This eased the smog problem by a small but detectable margin.

[wjcsux]

Libs obviously don’t understand Physics. They must think that the electricity that powers their Chevy Volt plug-in charger appears there by magic.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

ICE powered automobiles have gotten so clean in the last 30 years that a lot of the original justification for EVs is gone. The main justification now is to reduce reliance on foreign oil. But that requires mining, drilling and recovering domestic oil, coal and uranium, something the envirokooks are unable to do. The wind doesn’t blow at night and the sun sure doesn’t shine at night, so, if you want to charge your EVs at night, you need enormous and costly energy storage systems. The envirokooks won’t let you build pumped hydro storage and there are very few locations where underground compressed air storage is practical.

The only solution is to ride your bicycle or walk. Or maybe take the high speed train.

[Army Air Corps]

ping.

[tcrlaf]

“a smog problem caused by fossil-fuel plants which provide the power for these vehicles”

Whaa??? Liberal arrogance and stupidity didn’t take this in to account with their coal-powered cars?
WHODATHUNKIT....

[mmercier]

I thought France obtained half of its electric generation capacity through a standardized nuclear system.

Not that I would drive a golf cart to work.

[bigbob]

Naw, they think that electricity comes from the same unicorns that poop those pretty skittles!

Bad enough they’ve got to think about coal being burned to charge their car, but also nuke plants!

[max americana]

And burns garages down during the daytime.

[Bridge_toofar]

DUH!

I figured that out the moment electric cars were being touted as "green".

[Army Air Corps]

They follow-up with this: But much of the gas emitted at night time had dissipated by daybreak.

So, the smog from charging an electric vehicle is okay. "Hey, the wind blew it away." Emissions from a conventional vehicle is bad (even when the wind blows it away), but EV-related smog is okay.

[Army Air Corps]

Ugh, it IS getting late:

“Emissions from a conventional vehicle is bad...” should be “Emissions from a conventional vehicle are bad “

[Inyo-Mono]

The only solution is to ride your bicycle or walk. Or maybe take the high speed train.

None of those choices are an option for folks living in the remote, vast stretches of the West.

[Cobra64]

Libs obviously don’t understand Physics. They must think that the electricity that powers their Chevy Volt plug-in charger appears there by magic.

So true. That's why I show them these:

.

.

.

[Fester Chugabrew]

Electric cars make no sense as a reducing factor for oil consumption unless the electricity is produced by nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, the planet is ready to explode (e.g. Hawthorne, NV) because we are not drilling enough. God has given us resources more abundant than we can imagine, but we are saddled with liberal Democrats (lawyers, bureaucrats, and their media) to inhibit use of same.

[blueplum]

unfortunately, in a country with as much rural environment as the USA possesses, ‘ride your bike’ is simply impractical for the vast majority that commute more than 5 miles for employment. One might as well say, 'ride a horse.'

[Smokin' Joe]

The only solution is to ride your bicycle or walk.

I'll gladly follow the EPA employees to work in January, here. Let'em break trail at -30F.

Or maybe take the high speed train.

As soon as it gets here and goes where I need to. (I should live so long!)

[Greysard]

Not that I would drive a golf cart to work.

Obama does.

[Avery Iota Kracker]

When your electric car bursts into flames, you got a great personal toxic waste dump. That’s real good for the environment.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Sell your house. Sell your anachronistic gasoline powered vehicles. Move to a dense urban area. Find a new job. Live in a high-rise next to the RR tracks. Resistance is futile. Your future has been ordained.

[Smokin' Joe]

Move to a dense urban area.

Do you have a more 'enlightened' area? I'm just not dense enough to move to an urban area.