Experts in green transport convince us we have no choice, but to switch to electric vehicles, if we are to hold up the global warming and save the planet. The transition is to be long-lasting and carried out in stages, but ultimately, between 2030 and 2050 many European countries are bound to ban sales of brand-new cars with traditional combustion engines. Before the strict prohibitions come into effect, milder measures will be taken, particularly traditional vehicles will be forbidden entry to central areas in bigger cities. In the transitional period, hybrid cars are gaining popularity. They prove economical in town, but do not perform well in terms of fuel consumption in motorway driving, even at moderate speeds. Nevertheless, they help their drivers feel less guilty.
To make it clear, I do not dare to call into question the necessity to drastically reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. We should go to any length to protect the planet if our children and grandchildren are to inhabit it. I only wonder, whether electric motoring is definitely the best option.
Electric buses running around town and charged at terminuses or in depots – I am all in. But electric (only) passenger cars? Potential buyers see several drawbacks of such vehicles.
The first aspect which puts many people off is the price – such cars generally cost twice as much as their counterparts with traditional engines. Given savings per 1 kilometre and decreased cost of maintenance, the payoff distance is between 100,000 and 200,000 kilometres. The only way to get around this is to have governments subsidising purchases of electric vehicles and thus redistributing wealth.
The second discouraging factor is the inconvenience. Range of the best-performing electric vehicles reaches these days around 400 kilometres and such distance is only theoretical, i.e. achievable in ideal conditions – driving at steady speed, on a flat road, with windows closed, aircon off, etc. Charging infrastructure is still way too meagre to facilitate charging of several vehicles. On top, charging up batteries takes much more time than filling up the car. These factors make longer journeys inconvenient. In fact an electric car is good for driving around town, while in fact a car is the least desirable way of moving about in a city and should not be promoted.
The electricity mains and installations in most houses lack capacity to facilitate charging many such cars overnight. My father, an electrician, has worked out that if two cars were charged simultaneously in the underground garage of my building, the energy consumption (around 7,500 Watts) will be around 100% allowed for the installation. The third car plugged in would blow fuses. Electric installations in buildings and the entire power grid (which is likely to conk out in the event of a heat wave in Poland) need to be adjusted if cars are to run on electricity.
If we are environment-conscious, we should realise where the electricity in our sockets comes from. As long as Poland burns coal in power plants, electric cars still contaminate air, but at power plant chimneys, not at exhaust pipes. In Norway they make more sense.
Besides, a motor vehicle does damage to the environment only in 60% between the moment it leaves a dealer’s showroom and its last trip to a scrapyard. Manufacturing and recycling account for approximately 20% of carbon footprint each. Therefore if a carmaker prompts you to buy a new hybrid or electric SUV to save the planet, do not do it. You should rather look after your current car (provided it is a small and relatively modern petrol-fuelled one), drive it as rarely as possible and keep it going in good condition as long as possible.
We have to face a bitter truth. A car will become again a luxury good on account of its detrimental impact on the environment. Electric cars are not a perfect solution. The solution is to drive less, avoid short journeys and traffic jams, drive economically, choose to go by bicycle or by public transport around town. And not to deceive ourselves.
