Plus, electric cars are not all that green. In the U.S., 50 percent of all the electricity is produced from coal, which is responsible for a major part of CO2 emissions and the main source of smog above Montreal. On a smaller scale, a certain amount of electricity is generated from thermal and nuclear power.
Fuel cells are a promising solution, but producing hydrogen is either inefficient (water electrolysis) or polluting (hydrogen extraction from natural gas or coal electrolysis creates significant emissions).
The bottom line
Electric drive systems offer performance, simplicity and efficiency. They’re great in hybrid powertrains which deliver interesting performance while burning less fuel. On the flip side, pure electric cars are still limited in performance and range, and some of them use electricity from non-green sources.
Fuel cells are a promising solution, but producing hydrogen is either inefficient (water electrolysis) or polluting (hydrogen extraction from natural gas or coal electrolysis creates significant emissions).
The bottom line
Electric drive systems offer performance, simplicity and efficiency. They’re great in hybrid powertrains which deliver interesting performance while burning less fuel. On the flip side, pure electric cars are still limited in performance and range, and some of them use electricity from non-green sources.
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| 2011 Chevrolet Volt |