Category Archives: Energy and Climate Change

News and articles on climate change, vehicle pollution, and renewable energy.

Electric cars can help you live longer

May 27, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Migration from polluting vehicles that burn fossil fuels to electric vehicles, ideally using electricity generated sustainably could significantly reduce the incidence of cardiopulmonary illness due to air pollution, says a study.

This could lead not only to less employee absence from work through illness but also lead to broad improvements in the quality and length of life.

The researchers, Mitchell House and David Wright from the University of Ottawa in Canada, analysed the health benefits associated with driving an electric vehicle, and compared them with the cost of expanding the electric vehicle-charging infrastructure between 2016 and 2021.

The study, published in the International Journal of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles, found that in the majority of plausible scenarios of balanced growth, when the number of vehicles rises so does the number of charging stations, and there is a positive net benefit to society.

Big Oil wants to kill electric vehicles

May 22, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Oil, Opinion, PollutionRepost

Big Oil and its front groups want to kill electric vehicles (EVs) under the pretense of fairness.

It’s no secret why. The industry sees that the electric transportation future is coming fast, threatening their polluting profits, and they’re scared. We should double down on electrifying transportation and support an expansion of EV tax credits so we can stop pollution that is driving the climate crisis and making our air healthier for everyone.

Let’s get real about Big Oil: The industry receives over $26 billion in subsidies from American taxpayers and pays nothing for polluting the air we breathe and exacerbating the climate crisis. If there’s any group doesn’t need help from the government, it’s this industry.

Let’s also get real about who suffers the most from air pollution and climate: low-income families and communities of color. Pollution from fossil-fueled transportation is the largest single source of climate pollution in the United States. As we saw when Hurricane Harvey dumped 60 inches of rain on Houston or when Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico, it’s frontline communities who suffer the greatest losses and are left without the help they need.

The threat and disparate impacts go beyond climate. Transportation pollution is also making us sick. According to new research published in The Lancet Planetary Health, exhaust from cars is responsible for up to 4 million new cases of pediatric asthma each year. Another recent study by the Union of Concerned Scientists shows that African Americans and Latinos are exposed to roughly 40 percent more air pollution from vehicles than white people in California. The same study found that California households earning less than $20,000 per year are exposed to 25 percent more particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5) than California households earning more than $200,000 per year.

There’s a straightforward fix for a good part of this dangerous pollution: electrify the transportation sector. And thankfully, the sector is heading that way fast. For instance, electric vehicle (EV) and electric bus sales, while still a small percentage of overall sales, are growing precipitously. Between 2017 and 2018, EV sales almost doubled, and, in the latter half of last year, a zero-emissions vehicle was the fifth-best-selling passenger car in the United States. Bloomberg New Energy Finance projects that over 80 percent of all new bus sales globally will be electric buses by 2030. These increased sales are driving down costs and making electric transportation affordable for all.

Nearly three million British children face pollution risk with 6,000 UK schools in areas ruled to have high toxicity

May 17, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Every school in capital is over WHO limit of 10mg of PM2.5 per cubic metre
Air pollution is thought to contribute to around 40,000 early deaths a year
Comes as Rosamund Kissi-Debrah won right for new inquest into Ella’s death
Asthma-suffering daughter lived near busy road in Hither Green, south London

Millions of schoolchildren are being poisoned by pollution every day, analysis has shown.

About 6,500 nursery, primary and secondary schools with a total of 2.6million children are in areas where levels of toxic particles exceed the World Health Organisation’s recommended limit.

The fine particles tested, known as PM2.5, are the most dangerous form of air pollution and can get into the lungs and into the blood stream.

Research by The Times using data from the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory found that every school in the capital is over the WHO limit of 10mg per cubic metre, along with 234 in Birmingham. Leicester and Nottingham each have dangerous levels affecting more than 100 schools.

The revelations come days after Rosamund Kissi-Debrah from south London won her fight for a new inquest into the death of her daughter, Ella.

She says the nine-year-old asthma sufferer’s death in 2013 was caused by toxic fumes from a busy road near their home in Hither Green.

Air pollution is thought to contribute to 40,000 early deaths a year, and is particularly dangerous for the young, the elderly and those with lung conditions.

Los Angeles Targets 100% Electric Vehicles In The City By 2050

May 11, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti isn’t waiting for Congress to act on the threat of climate change.

Today he introduced the city’s own version of the Green New Deal, which establishes goals of a zero carbon grid, zero carbon transportation, zero carbon buildings, zero waste, and zero wasted water by 2050.

Citing the environmental disasters the city has faced in recent years, the mayor explains in the 150-page plan that “the scale of our ambitions must meet the magnitude of this crisis.”

“Politicians in Washington don’t have to look across the aisle in Congress to know what a Green New Deal is — they can look across the country, to Los Angeles,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti in a news release. “With flames on our hillsides and floods in our streets, cities cannot wait another moment to confront the climate crisis with everything we’ve got. L.A. is leading the charge, with a clear vision for protecting the environment and making our economy work for everyone.”

Building upon the Sustainable City Plan introduced in 2015, this new version raises the bar with goals of recycling 100 percent of the city’s wastewater and zeroing out carbon emissions generated by buildings, transportation, electricity, and trash, with a heavy focus on mobility, public transit, zero emissions vehicles.

The Future of Transportation Is Electric

May 5, 2019Charging, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

It’s clearer every day: the future of transportation is electric.

We should be cheering this transition—and encouraging it, because along with the benefits for drivers, electrifying transportation is going to be a critical piece of fighting climate change.

Unfortunately, for many observers, skepticism about electric vehicles (EVs) has become something like an article of faith. Mired in an obsolete set of facts, electric-vehicle naysayers are making the same arguments they’ve made for years even as technology speeds forward.

Take columnist George Will, who launched a broadside against electric vehicles last week. In casting doubt on the viability of EVs, Will is revealing that he hasn’t updated his understanding of the technology or the market in a decade. His argument relies upon outdated, misleading and just-plain-wrong evidence, undermining his thesis completely.

Here’s the truth. Electric vehicles are considerably cleaner than gasoline-powered cars, and this advantage is only increasing with time. Increasingly, coal-fired power generation is declining, and the share of our electricity produced by renewables is increasing. Indeed, Will inadvertently makes this point in his article. He points out that 27 percent of our electricity comes from coal power plants but leaves out entirely the fact that a decade earlier, coal was the largest source of electricity at almost half (48 percent) of all generation. We’re on the right path.

London’s ULEZ sparks demand for hybrid and electric vehicles

May 4, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, SalesRepost

Leading car buying website says the zone has upped interest – particularly for plug-in hybrids.

The introduction of London’s new ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) has triggered consumer interest in electric and hybrid cars, according to one of Britain’s leading new-car websites.

Designed to improve air quality in the capital, the ULEZ sees vehicles failing to meet the required emissions standards charged extra to enter the Congestion Charge zone. Petrol-powered cars must comply with at least the Euro 4 standard to avoid the £12.50 charge, while diesels need to meet the much more recent Euro 6 standard.

Figures from Carwow show how the ULEZ’s arrival earlier this month caused noticeable spikes in Londoners’ searches for electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Inside the M25, Carwow says quote requests for plug-in hybrid vehicles risen 25 percent since the beginning of April, while interest in electric cars has risen 14 percent. Demand for standard hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius, also increased, but only by around six percent.

Study explains how electric vehicle improves air quality and climate outlook

April 26, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

The study published in the journal Atmospheric Environment provided evidence that making a switch to electric vehicles would improve overall air quality and lower carbon emissions.

Washington: is it possible for electric vehicles to improve air quality and climate outlook? Recent research has thrown light on the efficacy of electric vehicles.

The study published in the journal Atmospheric Environment provided evidence that making a switch to electric vehicles would improve overall air quality and lower carbon emissions.

The study quantified the differences in air pollution generated from battery-powered electric vehicles versus internal combustion engines.

The researchers found that even when their electricity is generated from combustion sources, electric vehicles have a net positive impact on air quality and climate change.

“In contrast to many of the scary climate change impact stories we read in the news, this work is about solutions,” said Daniel Horton, senior author of the study.

“We know that climate change is happening, so what can we do about it? One technologically available solution is to electrify our transportation system. We find that electric vehicle adoption reduces net carbon emissions and has the added benefit of reducing air pollutants, thereby improving public health,” added Horton.

To quantify the differences between the two types of vehicles, the researchers used emissions remapping algorithm and air quality model simulations.

They used these methods to closely examine two pollutants related to automobiles and power emissions: ozone and particulate matter. Both are main components of smog and can trigger a variety of health problems, such as asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

To fully account for the complexity of changes to air pollution chemistry, the researchers took multiple variables into consideration including potential electric vehicles adoption rates, Generation of electric vehicle power supply, including our current combustion-dominant mix, combustion-only sources and enhanced emission-free renewable, geographical locations, and seasons and times of the day.

Ozone levels decreased across the board in simulations of warmer weather months. In the wintertime, however, ozone levels increase slightly but are already much lower compared to summer due to a chemical reaction that occurs differently during times of lesser winter sunlight.

“Across scenarios, we found the more cars that transitioned to electric power, the better for summertime ozone levels,” said Jordan Schnell, first author of the study.

“No matter how the power is generated, the more combustion cars you take off the road, the better the ozone quality,” Schnell added.

EU Toughens CO2 Limits for Cars in Bid to Spur Electric Vehicles

April 20, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

New caps clear last political hurdle with EU Parliament vote
Reductions of 15% in 2025, 37.5% in 2030 versus 2021 limit

The European Union tightened caps on carbon dioxide from cars in a bid to accelerate the development of electric vehicles.

The European Parliament set a 37.5 percent CO2-reduction target for 2030 compared with the 2021 limit. In a vote on Wednesday in Strasbourg, France, the assembly also fixed an interim CO2-cut goal for autos of 15 percent for 2025.

The endorsement removes the final political hurdle for the new emission curbs meant to step up the European fight against climate change. EU governments have already signaled support for the new CO2 limits after striking a deal in December with the 751-seat Parliament, making their final approval due on April 15 a formality.

VW threatens to exit important automaker lobbying group over electric vehicle policies

March 31, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, VolkswagenRepost

Volkswagen is amongst the legacy automakers now most invested in electric vehicles and they now threaten to exit an important automaker lobbying group over their policies regarding electric vehicles.

Automakers have promoted policies to slow down the adoption of electric vehicles through lobbying groups for years.

Most recently, automakers associations have pushed against efforts to increase average fuel economy, which would have forced EVs to be built in higher volume.

Interestingly, several automakers were claiming to be ‘all-in on electric cars’ while indirectly supporting those lobbying efforts.

Now, Volkswagen appears to be recognizing this issue and is pressuring the Association of the German Automotive Industry (VDA), a powerful lobbying group in Germany, to promote electric vehicles.

Germany’s Welt reported (Translated from German):

“The list of criticisms made at Volkswagen is long. Above all, the association must move away from the strategy of “technology openness” and ensure that all forces are focused exclusively on the enforcement of the battery-electric car. Development and promotion of vehicles with fuel cells and gas engines or other environmentally friendly variants would have to be stopped. This overburden the industry, says VW boss Herbert Diess.”

In short, VW wants the association to stop pushing “alternative fuel” vehicles and focus on battery-electric vehicles.

The Electric Car, Technological Disruption, and Climate Change

March 30, 2019Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

The key ingredients for decarbonization of the American economy are renewable energy and the electric car. Most of America’s use of fossil fuels is in transportation.

According to the U.S. EPA:

“The transportation sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for our cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. Over 90 percent of the fuel used for transportation is petroleum based, which includes gasoline and diesel.”

About 28.5 percent of America’s greenhouse gases come from transport. Close behind is electric power generation, with 28.4 percent of emissions. But as our electric system becomes more renewable, the proportion of greenhouse gases coming from transportation will increase if we don’t move toward electric vehicles. Transportation’s dominance of greenhouse gas pollution is a particularly American problem. This is because America’s development pattern of suburbs and sprawl cities like Los Angeles, Huston and Las Vegas requires personal transportation. In New York City, most of our greenhouse gases come from powering our buildings. Most of our transportation is shared ― it is mass transit, not personal transit. In the rest of the country, the car is king. America may re-urbanize, but its basic land use patterns will always require personal transport. Therefore, for America to decarbonize we need vehicles that do not use internal combustion engines. Fortunately, the era of electric vehicles seems to be upon us.

When the auto writer of the New York Times writes a piece on marketing electric cars, you know we have reached a tipping point. According to Times reporter Jack Ewing:

“After years of promising electric cars, established carmakers are actually starting to build them. But manufacturers are realizing that a shift to battery power also requires them to retool their sales machinery. The old come-ons are obsolete. Range is the new horsepower. Connectivity replaces cylinder count. And sustainability is the new status symbol.”

The automakers have begun to see the start of a new market. It’s not that they are in any way abandoning the old one, but the seriousness of their investment in the electric car demonstrates that this is not some form of greenwashing or public relations gimmick. I recognize that moving a huge industry like this will be gradual and that the investment in manufacturing and servicing current technology remains a major impediment to change. But it seems clear that change is coming. Not only are the automakers thinking about the marketing issues, they are beginning to get creative about the price structure of electric cars. Again, according to Ewing:

“…electric vehicle customers pay close attention to the same things as other car buyers, like the purchase price. Electric cars continue to cost thousands of dollars more than conventional vehicles. High price remains an obstacle, mostly because of the cost of the batteries. That may be less of a problem than it seems. Electric vehicles already on the road are holding on to their value well…that allows carmakers to offer attractive leasing terms because they know the cars will command a good resale price when the lease expires. And many buyers of electric cars won’t be individuals, but car-sharing services that buy them by the dozens and can spread the cost among more users. Those buyers tend to pay attention to the cost of a car over its life span rather than just the initial purchase price. Electric cars look better from that angle because they don’t require oil changes and electricity is cheaper per mile than gasoline.”