Pole to Pole

[Odds]

On the other hand...
It should by now be clear to all vehicle manufacturers and policymakers that the electric vehicle (EV) age is all but inevitable. Most drivers already get it, as shown by the huge order books for most electric models. The long-running fight over whether electric or petrol/diesel engines generate more emissions during their lifecycle, further fuelled by Rowan Atkinson’s recent intervention, is in fact all but over. After years of crunching the numbers, peer-reviewed studies consistently arrive at the same conclusion: EVs win. The UK government’s own research supports this position and concludes that transitioning to zero-emission vehicles would “significantly” reduce overall carbon use.

Of course, where the vehicle and battery are manufactured, and how the electricity is generated, make a difference to the carbon benefits of EVs. But helpful and accessible tools such as the Transport & Environment campaign’s How clean are electric cars? calculator are doing much to demystify these concerns for the average person. This tool clearly shows that across its whole lifetime, a small EV driven in Sweden using a battery produced there emits 83% less than a similar petrol car – that’s a huge improvement. Even one driven in Poland with a battery made in China still emits 37% less.

Ben Lane@theGreenGuardian

 

[Odds]

Another rebuttal of the Rowan Atkinson op-ed, this time by Simon Evans@theGreenGuardian, who goes on to say:
Atkinson’s biggest mistake is his failure to recognise that electric vehicles already offer significant global environmental benefits, compared with combustion-engine cars.

In its latest report, for example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said, with “high confidence”, that EVs have lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional cars. The IPCC said that electric vehicles not only “offer the greatest low-carbon potential for land-based transport”, but their use would save money. (Despite elevated electricity prices, EVs are still much cheaper to run than petrol cars in the UK.)

Contrary to Atkinson’s article, EVs cut emissions in the “bigger picture” taking into account vehicles’ full life cycles, from the extraction of oil or mining of lithium for batteries through to actually driving the cars. As Carbon Brief noted some years ago, EVs already cut planet-warming emissions by two-thirds on a life cycle basis relative to combustion engine cars in the UK – and the benefits are growing.

Atkinson is also wrong to say that the UK government’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 “seems to be based on conclusions drawn from only one part of a car’s operating life: what comes out of the exhaust pipe”. For starters, the government’s cost-benefit analysis of its policy plans for cars talks in detail about life cycle emissions. Specifically, it mentions government-commissioned research that proves EVs offer a large and growing emissions benefit on a life cycle basis. Echoing Carbon Brief’s findings, the analysis says: “BEVs [battery electric vehicles] are expected to reduce GHG emissions by 65% compared to a petrol car today, and this rises to 76% by 2030.”

That same analysis gives one answer to Atkinson’s touting of hydrogen as an “interesting alternative fuel” to replace petrol and diesel. The research shows that hydrogen vehicles would only cut emissions by 39% today, relative to petrol engines, potentially rising to 56% by 2030. Another answer is that there are still only 72,000 hydrogen-fuelled fuel-cell vehicles on the planet, accounting for a tiny fraction of the roughly 1.5bn cars on the road globally. In comparison, about 14m EVs are due to be sold this year alone, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

 

[wobs]

That same analysis gives one answer to Atkinson’s touting of hydrogen as an “interesting alternative fuel” to replace petrol and diesel. The research shows that hydrogen vehicles would only cut emissions by 39% today, relative to petrol engines, potentially rising to 56% by 2030. Another answer is that there are still only 72,000 hydrogen-fuelled fuel-cell vehicles on the planet, accounting for a tiny fraction of the roughly 1.5bn cars on the road globally. In comparison, about 14m EVs are due to be sold this year alone, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

We are also unlikely to see significant quantities of green hydrogen until 2040, and much of that needs to go to industrial sources that can't electrify. And hydrogen is likely to increase in price given demand will increase.

I agree with your earlier points, but would add that full EV cars is not practical for many people in the UK, owing to a lack of off street parking. There are streets in every town where parking is at a shortage, meaning you can't really choose where to park, meaning if every space had a charging point, the odds of you finding one that actually works will erm vary.

 

[Odds]

There's a mocking whiff of irony in their route this weekend, taking them along heighway 51 past the old Motor City of Detroit...

 

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And now on the way back to Seattle...

...travelling through Washington state where the air is clean and green due to their modern energy policy, taking time to remind us all "Air pollution is a silent adversary, but together, we can overcome it. Small changes = big impact...think about driving an EV for your next car."

 

[Odds]

Back in Portland and heading down the west coast, although i'm surprised they didn't take a moment to visit Aberdeen on the way but headed south from Seattle where the car didn't look out of place in an urban environment.

 

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Toyota has announced it had simplified the production of the material used to make solid-state batteries and hailed the discovery as a significant leap forward that could dramatically cut charging times and increase driving range. “For both our liquid and our solid-state batteries, we are aiming to drastically change the situation where current batteries are too big, heavy and expensive. In terms of potential, we will aim to halve all of these factors.”said Keiji Kaita, president of the Toyota research and development centre for carbon neutrality.
He added that his company has developed ways to make batteries more durable, and believed it could now make a solid-state battery with a range of 1,200 km (745 miles) that could charge in 10 minutes or less and would be simpler to manufacture than a conventional lithium-ion battery.

However, even with this solid-state battery news, Toyota still has modest goals for its battery-electric cars. It plans to manufacture 3 million of them a year by 2030 — half with solid-state batteries. Tesla just announced it produced nearly a half million cars last quarter alone. BYD is also in it to win it and is on pace to make up to 3 million BEV and EV vehicles in 2023.

Despite this most recent announcement, Toyota is still committing substantial resources to developing hydrogen fuel cell technology. The company said last month it will establish a Hydrogen Factory to develop fuel cell technology further, particularly for commercial customers. Mercedes announced recently that it is building electric buses that have onboard fuel cell range extenders supplied by Toyota. The company says the focus of its hydrogen efforts will be markets in Japan, China, and Europe.

Toyota claims “The next generation system will achieve a 37% cost reduction through technological progress, volume efficiency, and localization. Furthermore, in collaboration with partners, if we receive an offer for 200,000 units in 2030, we will be able to reduce the cost by 50% and generate a solid profit while meeting the expectations of our many customers and governments,”

 

[Odds]

After sleeping in their rooftop tent for so long you'd think they'd take advantage of the civilised amenities on offer in Santa Monica: but no! all they need is a place to park and enjoy the views...

A bit like Southend but more dolphins in the water.

 

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Travelling through Tucson Arizona where the old traditions die hard...

We recently caught up with BBC Scotland The Nine Show to give them an update on how we were coping in our all electric Nissan Ariya, driving from the Magnetic North Pole to the South Pole with the dangerously high temperatures in Arizona, USA. Highest temperature we experienced driving through was 47 degrees. Fingers crossed the a/c keeps on truckin'.

 

[Odds]

First chance i've had to catch up with our heroic eco-travellers for a while and they're almost all the way through Mexico!

Oaxaca looks a fantastic place to visit...

El Arbol del Tule, or simply El Tule (The Tree of Enlightenment) is a giant Montezuma cypress tree on the grounds of a the gorgeous Templo Santa María de la Asunción church. At 46-feet around (14 m), it holds the world’s record for biggest trunk diameter on Earth. For reference, it takes at least 30 people with clasped hands to wrap around the El Tule tree. Scientists date this tree at about 2,000-years-old. However, Oaxaca’s native Zapotec people say it was planted about 1,400 years ago by Ehécatl, the god of the wind.

How the f. would you prune that?

 

[Odds]

Onwards, ever onwards; through Mexico into Guatemala without incident or accident.

In Leon, this weekend, near Lake Managua. It looks like a nice spot to do a bit of fishing. At least the trees aren't burning...

 

[Odds]

Some highlights from when we took our Expedition Nissan Ariya into Antigua Guatemala. What a beautiful city! We haven’t seen anything like it before. It’s so colourful, vibrant and safe. It’s full of history, character and amazing restaurants and cafes. We wish we had more time to spend here. So many places near here we wanted to visit. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time. Enjoy the highlights. We hope to be back to visit again one day. We used the EnelXway electric car charger in the city which is situated inside the Casa Santo Domingo hotel.
Our last charge in Guatemala, an unusual one and it was a long night sleeping in the car which we have done on many occasions prior on this expedition. Next stop El Salvador. Originally we were not going to pass through El Salvador. After consulting with the locals in the area we changed our minds last minute and decided to venture through.

It's a pity they had to sleep in the vehicle. The hotel looks fantastico.

 

[Brigadier]

According to ElectroMaps, fewer than a dozen EV charge points in the whole of Guatemala (area, +100k sq. km.)
And 7 of those in one city.

 

[Odds]

According to ElectroMaps, fewer than a dozen EV charge points in the whole of Guatemala (area, +100k sq. km.)
And 7 of those in one city.

I imagine they don't need them so much for a donkey to pull a cart.

However, the UK is crackin' on ... At the end of July 2023, there were 45,737 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 26,805 charging locations. This represents a 40% increase in the total number of charging devices since July 2022.

 

[Brigadier]

I imagine they don't need them so much for a donkey to pull a cart.

Quite, but I'd bet petrol stations are not so similarly rare.

However, the UK is crackin' on ... At the end of July 2023, there were 45,737 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 26,805 charging locations. This represents a 40% increase in the total number of charging devices since July 2022.

Again, great.
How many of them actually work though.......