The graphic below from CarInsurance.org succinctly demonstrates the issues that consumers and policy makers need to consider in making decisions with respect to transportation. As a practical matter, are we plugging our electric vehicle into a coal-fired generation facility or does the mix contain more renewable or clean energy? We posed this question to Bob Yuhnke of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) on ICOSA's Driving Force radio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcWYk8WNuYQ&feature=plcp The other environmental consideration is batteries. How are they made, how long do they last, can they be recycled?
These issues and price appear to be holding consumers back as Dan Bigman noted in his Forbes article titled, "Who's Killing the Electric Car." Why aren't electric vehicles taking hold as precicted? According to Bigman, "Is it the lack of charging stations? Is it the batteries? Is it the range? Is it the price? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes." http://www.forbes.com/sites/danbigman/2012/10/05/whos-killing-the-electric-car-the-consumer/
Transportation is a tough issue and our society is built on having the freedom to get where we need to be when we want to be there. The bottom line is that for every action there is a consequence and we need to carefully consider those consequences before we take action.
For a clearer image go to: http://www.carinsurance.org/green-cars
