GM Spokesperson admits energy to charge cars comes from coal

I am still trying to figure out how the EV knows how to pull out just the coal generated electricity from the grid mix. ;)

Lantley wrote:

Reisender wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:
Didn't mean to start a show but my point is the lady from GM is representing a new electric car for the company and one would think she would be on top of the local/regional power plant sources in case questions of power infrastructure would come up. When your designing or representing an all new vehicle using alternative energy sources you better have your duck in row. Its responses like this that make you wonder if this 2nd gen EV will fail like the first one.

I’m not sure when the Volt came out but I think it was somewhere around 2008. So this video is probably kinda old. They haven’t made the Volt since two or three years ago. Just never caught on.

Which brings us to the Tesla. The volt weather true or not, represented a drab commuter car. That had to be plugged in every 100 miles that was only good as a short commute grocery getter. It was perceived as not much better than a golf cart.
Tesla came along and showed the real power of EV.
It was fast, full of technology, had a decent range and was fun to drive.
The Tesla was a game changer that propelled EV into the mainstream overnight. So much so that several companies have proclaimed that have quit making ICE equipped cars.
Note none of those companies are concerned where and how the electricity is generated because it is a non factor.
Do we really consider where the gasoline comes from to power ICE engines?
So why all the discussion on coal, vs. fossil vs. nuclear.
In the grand scheme of things the EV is going to beat the ICE off the line, have less maintenance, more technology and cost much less to operate regardless of how the electricity is generated.
Coal fired vs. nuclear vs. wind vs. solar energy is an issue within itself , with or with out the evolution of EV's.

But back in 2007 or 08 when the Volt came out (and when this video probably came out) coal was still a significant producer of electricity in North American and Britain. It’s all but gone in Britain and Canada and only a small player in the US now. Within a decade or two it will be pretty much done. Natural gas is actually a pretty good way to make power nowadays. Cheaper, less pollution, quicker peaker operation. Probably not a good time to be in the coal industry.

Reisender wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:
Didn't mean to start a show but my point is the lady from GM is representing a new electric car for the company and one would think she would be on top of the local/regional power plant sources in case questions of power infrastructure would come up. When your designing or representing an all new vehicle using alternative energy sources you better have your duck in row. Its responses like this that make you wonder if this 2nd gen EV will fail like the first one.

I’m not sure when the Volt came out but I think it was somewhere around 2008. So this video is probably kinda old. They haven’t made the Volt since two or three years ago. Just never caught on.

Which brings us to the Tesla. The volt weather true or not, represented a drab commuter car. That had to be plugged in every 100 miles that was only good as a short commute grocery getter. It was perceived as not much better than a golf cart.
Tesla came along and showed the real power of EV.
It was fast, full of technology, had a decent range and was fun to drive.
The Tesla was a game changer that propelled EV into the mainstream overnight. So much so that several companies have proclaimed that have quit making ICE equipped cars.
Note none of those companies are concerned where and how the electricity is generated because it is a non factor.
Do we really consider where the gasoline comes from to power ICE engines?
So why all the discussion on coal, vs. fossil vs. nuclear.
In the grand scheme of things the EV is going to beat the ICE off the line, have less maintenance, more technology and cost much less to operate regardless of how the electricity is generated.
Coal fired vs. nuclear vs. wind vs. solar energy is an issue within itself , with or with out the evolution of EV's.

FishOnOne wrote:
Didn't mean to start a show but my point is the lady from GM is representing a new electric car for the company and one would think she would be on top of the local/regional power plant sources in case questions of power infrastructure would come up. When your designing or representing an all new vehicle using alternative energy sources you better have your duck in row. Its responses like this that make you wonder if this 2nd gen EV will fail like the first one.

I’m not sure when the Volt came out but I think it was somewhere around 2008. So this video is probably kinda old. They haven’t made the Volt since two or three years ago. Just never caught on.

Didn't mean to start a show but my point is the lady from GM is representing a new electric car for the company and one would think she would be on top of the local/regional power plant sources in case questions of power infrastructure would come up. When your designing or representing an all new vehicle using alternative energy sources you better have your duck in row. Its responses like this that make you wonder if this 2nd gen EV will fail like the first one.

time2roll wrote:

BCSnob wrote:
I just reread Kennedy’s Rice University speech (we choose to go to the moon); good thing Americans had a “can do” attitude in the 60s and 70s (unlike today).

And that is what used to make America Great.
Glad to know there are still some champions of progress pushing us forward even as the public kicks and screams to not change anything.

X2

BCSnob wrote:
I just reread Kennedy’s Rice University speech (we choose to go to the moon); good thing Americans had a “can do” attitude in the 60s and 70s (unlike today).

And that is what used to make America Great.
Glad to know there are still some champions of progress pushing us forward even as the public kicks and screams to not change anything.

TurnThePage wrote:
Geez! What a train wreck this thread is. Absolute proof that everybody knows better than the other guy.

Thank you! :B

Because we can’t, with current technology, get to 100% charging with renewables we should not even try? Wouldn’t it be easier to control/capture emissions from 100s of stationary sources than millions of moving sources?

I just reread Kennedy’s Rice University speech (we choose to go to the moon); good thing Americans had a “can do” attitude in the 60s and 70s (unlike today).

theoldwizard1 wrote:

TurnThePage wrote:
Electric IS the future. Quit trying to poopoo it.

We will NEVER have enough wind and solar to charge an "all electric" fleet of cars and trucks.

If you don't want CO2 emissions from electric generation we had better start research and development on alternative nuclear power solutions.

IMHO the greater challenge is commercial trucking. Personal light vehicles are actually not that big a deal as most utilities have indicated. The average commute uses between 6 and 8 kWh. That’s pretty easy to make every day with solar or wind. 600 kWh for a semi not so much. :).

Jmho. Not an expert.