A short post this week, with a link to an article I urge anyone interested in electric cars to read : Unclean at any speed. This article deals with the sobering truth that swapping from petrol powered cars to electric ones is like swapping one brand of cigarettes for another. In terms of the overall 'green' credentials that electric cars tout, they're really not that much better for the environment once you take into account the pollution caused by the manufacture and disposal of the car, it's electrical systems and batteries, and the pollution at the power generating facilities.
The last paragraph in the article sums it up nicely:
"Should environmentally minded people really revere electric cars? Perhaps we should look beyond the shiny gadgets now being offered and revisit some less sexy but potent options—smog reduction, bike lanes, energy taxes, and land-use changes to start. Let’s not be seduced by high-tech illusions."
So by all means buy an electric car, but don't kid yourself that the primary reason for doing is to be 'green'.
