I’ve seen a lot of posts here on Lemmy, specifically in the “fuck cars” communities as to how Electric Vehicles do pretty much nothing for the Climate, but I continue to see Climate activists everywhere try pushing so, so hard for Electric Vehicles.

Are they actually beneficial to the planet other than limiting exhaust, or is that it? or maybe exhaust is a way bigger problem?

  • GreatAlbatross@feddit.ukEnglish
    401·
    11 months ago

    I like to think of it as “better than”.

    They’re not perfect, but they’re better than what people might do instead.
    I could swap my older car for a second hand EV, which would be an environmental improvement.
    The current car does 50-ish MPG, about 1.5 miles per KWH. An electric would do 4+miles per KWH, which going in reverse is 100+MPG.

    A bigger improvement might come from me getting the bus/train/bike everywhere, which is where the fuck cars argument comes from.
    But I am disorganised, a bit lazy, and I don’t want to shepherd 4 people onto the train, paying £150 to go 100 miles.

    So for me, slightly better is better than no improvement at all.
    The energy used can be green, depending on what the national grid is up to that day. But it’s always more green than burning dinosaurs.
    And the reduction in brake dust is always a nice plus.