Former GM employee Ozzie Zehner was interviewed at Boston's NPR affiliate today, and sparked a firestorm of controversy:
http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/07/29/electric-cars-green
Here's his article at IEEE Spectrum: http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/renewables/unclean-at-any-speed
Basically, Mr. Zehner's argument is twofold:
(1) Electric cars are typically built with aluminum, and require more copper, rare earths (does not apply to Tesla induction motor, I believe), and lithium. He says that the extra energy required for these metals raises the carbon footprint, as well as emissions of other bad stuff like particulates.
(2) The "shifted tailpipe" argument.
His argument is based on this study, which I have not had time to read: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12794
He says that advocates of EVs over ICEs are like doctors recommending that smokers change their brand of cigarettes
Ozzie Zehner's solution: "If legislators truly wish to reduce fossil-fuel dependence, they could prioritize the transition to pedestrian- and bike-friendly neighborhoods" and "reduce suburban sprawl".
For this, he was attacked by people on the political Right as a "radical environmentalist"
And assailed by those on the political Left as a shill for oil companies who don't want EVs to succeed
So why did I post this?
I am curious if there is a lifecycle CO2/Energy/Polution study on the Model S versus a comparable ICE like a BMW 5 series. Is there merit to what this fellow is saying, or is his conclusion based on outdated information?
http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/07/29/electric-cars-green
Here's his article at IEEE Spectrum: http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/renewables/unclean-at-any-speed
Basically, Mr. Zehner's argument is twofold:
(1) Electric cars are typically built with aluminum, and require more copper, rare earths (does not apply to Tesla induction motor, I believe), and lithium. He says that the extra energy required for these metals raises the carbon footprint, as well as emissions of other bad stuff like particulates.
(2) The "shifted tailpipe" argument.
His argument is based on this study, which I have not had time to read: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12794
He says that advocates of EVs over ICEs are like doctors recommending that smokers change their brand of cigarettes
Ozzie Zehner's solution: "If legislators truly wish to reduce fossil-fuel dependence, they could prioritize the transition to pedestrian- and bike-friendly neighborhoods" and "reduce suburban sprawl".
For this, he was attacked by people on the political Right as a "radical environmentalist"
And assailed by those on the political Left as a shill for oil companies who don't want EVs to succeed
So why did I post this?
I am curious if there is a lifecycle CO2/Energy/Polution study on the Model S versus a comparable ICE like a BMW 5 series. Is there merit to what this fellow is saying, or is his conclusion based on outdated information?