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Comment by achow | Hacker News Reader

Yes.

But doesn't the point still stays that contrary to the popular belief electric cars would not bring about much change?

Research paper: ..it could be concluded that the increased popularity of electric vehicles will likely not have a great effect on PM levels.

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Electric vehicles will bring about significant changes.

As said, and as your quote highlights, this focusses on particles. But the main emission of internal combustion engines is CO2, and other nasty stuff like CO, NOx, hydrocarbons, etc. These are eliminated by electric vehicles.

They are moved by electric vehicles to some remote place (where they might also be more efficiently handled), but even as an electric car driver, I don’t think of them as eliminated.

They are eliminated and electricity production does not have to produce any of them: The short term goal is total elimination across the whole chain.

I think the parent was referring to the mining and manufacturing of lithion ion and other components that go into a car.

That's a secondary effect. Primary effect I had in mind when commenting was the movement of the emissions from the local tailpipe to the electric plant (which is very far from 100% emission-free today).

As said this is so only on 'backwards' countries ;) and certainly it should not last.

Claiming that electric vehicles only move emissions to the electric plant is unfair at best.

I think it's more accurate than claiming they are eliminated.

It's not but it helps some narratives...

OK, I'll play along. Suppose I drive my electric car an additional 450 miles. That will consume an extra ~100kWh of energy from the battery, which will require me to buy an extra 115kWh of energy from my electric utility, which will require them to generate (or procure) an additional 125kWh or so.

Are there any emissions associated with that additional 125kWh of consumed electricity? If so, where? If not, why not?

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