News Forum - Watt’s up? Let’s plug into the future with the best electric cars in Thailand

[Thaiger]

Nowadays, many people are becoming more aware of their carbon footprint on the world. Both individuals and big businesses are putting forth efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Reducing the use of single-use plastics is a great way to reduce our environmental impact, and switching to electric (EV) cars is another effective way to lower …

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[KaptainRob]

IMO the claims highlighted in red below are untrue, not the journo's fault per se, but a myth being touted by industry to further their greedy agenda.

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Reducing the use of single-use plastics is a great way to reduce our environmental impact, and switching to electric (EV) cars is another effective way to lower our carbon footprint. It’s because electric cars produce significantly fewer emissions than traditional gasoline-powered cars

Production of all vehicle components causes environmental damage, none moreso than the mining of Rare Earth minerals for EV battery packs. Actual running of an EV is clean but the re-charge coming via the grid is in most countries powered by burning coal oil or gas which negates any saving.

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as the renewable energy industry continues to grow, the electricity used to power these cars is becoming increasingly clean and green.

^ Not quite correct as only some countries like Iceland, and to a lesser extent NZ, utilise geothermal and hydro power which goes a long way toward the ultimate goal. 

Large scale solar, wind and wave power generation is still a long way off contributing a sizable % to the grid which in itself is struggling to cope with higher loads.

Another argument against EV use is best understood by New Zealanders following a series of devastating storms over the past 6 weeks, which produced widespread flooding, landslides and many weeks of power outage to many communities. EV's cannot be re-charged and with internet and phone also cut to ~ 30,000 households, they can't call for help.  [NB: Cash is king as electronic payment systems do not work]

Environmental issues notwithstanding I do like EV's for city use, and they have awesome acceleration, but I'd never own one.

[Khunmark]

I’m all for EVs however, if Thailand want to ramp up EV sales they should be looking toward China where EV minis are capturing the market. They retail significantly cheaper than the larger EV models, making them more affordable to interested buyers. However, I still think electric bicycles and electric motorbikes are the most viable options for those who live in warmer climes.

[Grumpish]

24 minutes ago, KaptainRob said:

Production of all vehicle components causes environmental damage, none moreso than the mining of Rare Earth minerals for EV battery packs.

Something often glossed over by the eco-warriors. The carbon footprint of producing an EV is around double that of the equivalent IC model. It varies from country to country depending on how much electricity comes from renewables, but the average break even point can be a quite significant 30,000 miles.

I don't have a good link for this at the moment (tablet + iffy hotel Wi-Fi makes searching difficult), but there have been a couple of good articles on the BBC news site.

[TWS60]

Meh, doesn't have to be all one way or the other.  In or Out.        Black or White.  100% Green, or nothing at all.  

I'll never be in the right wing camp, or anyone's camp for that matter, but I do go along with resistance to these Green New Deals, because they are overzealous and unrealistic until we break through the current tech glass ceiling.   

IMO, continue developing a buffet of energy streams with smart integration systems for parallel redundancy to oil/gas/ICE.  Use it all when and where it makes sense.    No need for absolutists to fight about THAT.

Reckon it won't be too long before relevant tech leaps forward another notch, leaving the "it's never going to work" brigade to find the next thing to moan about.  It's just human nature on display in every aging generation, some of whom were the lot befuddled by their VCR clock flashing 12:00 O'clock all the time.   As my Gran used to say when I was 7 or 8 years old, "The world is going to hell in a hand basket!!!", as she ordered me and my sister down for naps on hot summer afternoons to avoid getting Polio.

[Soidog]

It frustrates me how reports always conflate carbon emissions (contributing to climate change) with environmental damage caused by plastic waste.  Tow totally different issues which require totally different solutions.