r/sustainability question: EVs seem to be all the rage when thinking of ways to sustainably travel, aside from, of course, public transit, but how does the price stack up to traditional ICE vehicles? Are they worth the switch, or is it just going to drain the wallet?
How do electricity rates stack up to gas prices? What about maintenance costs?
Lots to consider, let me know your thoughts.
Intelligent Tinkering: The only way an ICE vehicle beats an EV for ease of use, cost effectiveness, and GHG emissions/mile is 1) if it's a plug-in hybrid used properly, so the first roughly forty miles are EV miles but there is no range limitation or worries about winter heating shrinking range in a cold climate, or 2) if the standard offer electricity supply in the region is particularly dirty with coal and no attempt is made to mitigate, or 3) it is used for heavy work where the energy density needs for efficient use are higher, so heavy towing, snow plowing, and so on, or 4) if it is an older ICE vehicle that has outlived multiple average vehicle lives. Embodied emissions in EV vehicles mean that they are not climate neutral even when run on solar, and the ratio of lifetime fuel consumption to embodied emissions for an ICE vehicle is about five to one, so it is not so hard for an older ICE vehicle that has exceeded multiple average lifetimes to catch up with an EV in total emissions/mile (including embodied emissions). We should note that the "error bars" on applicable studies of embodied energy in EV manufacture remain high. This is because of doubt in the energy costs of materials sourcing.
https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/comparative-life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-emissions-of-a-mid-size-bev-and-ice-vehicle
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