Is EV ignorance alive and well in Queensland?
Tesla Shareholder says EV ignorance is alive and well in Queensland.
This shareholder has written an article titled:
Electric vehicle FUD (and plain ignorance) is alive and well in Queensland.
His view is based on a petition that has been lodged with the Queensland Parliament, seeking to ban electric vehicles in Queensland.
This is the petition (https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=3620)
It seems to concentrate on the construction of the batteries for electric vehicles as well as the ultimate disposal of them.
There may be some valid points that need to be looked at.
However, for anyone to say that “ignorance is alive and well in Queensland”, based on ONLY about 650 people who have signed the petition, is itself somewhat idiotic.
Alive, but floundering, might be a better term.
What does this petition really want?
The final part of the petition is this:
Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to immediately legislate to remove electric vehicles from Queensland roads until manufacturers can demonstrate resource neutral construction and disposal of the batteries. ln addition, the vehicles should be self-generating for their power and not drain external electricity supplies.
As the writer of the article is a Tesla shareholder, it is relevant to note that Tesla owners can now see how much solar or coal is powering their EVs.
Tesla’s Supercharger in Hawthorne, California, which was one of the first to have solar panels, has an energy mix of 0.2% solar, 5.5% nuclear,13.3% natural gas, 27% coal and 49.9% wind. 16 Apr 2021 https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/16/tesla-owners-can-now-see-how-much-solar-or-coal-is-powering-their-evs/
How much would that be in Queensland, Australia.
In Australia, during 2019/2020, fossil fuels contributed 76% of total electricity generation in 2020, including coal (54%), gas (20%) and oil (2%).
https://www.energy.gov.au/data/electricity-generation
Queensland itself shows about 70% Coal and Oil on about equal parts with under 10% renewable. Maybe that official data is what the petition writer is working from.
The writer says “I am not aware of any studies that say that most EVs are charged at home from coal.”
He also says “people are able to charge their cars from sunshine during the day.”
From my own personal perspective the car salesman told me that overnight charging was common.
Maybe the petition creater foolishly feels that people use their cars during the day, and have to charge them during the night.
Expecting EVs to be self-generating however does seem to be impossible at the moment.
It’s an interesting point, but an argument that would fail consideration.
The original article.
Electric vehicle FUD (and plain ignorance) is alive and well in Queensland.
To be honest, I didn’t know what the FUD part was, so I had to look it up.
“Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.”
The Petition.
The preamble to the petition is:
Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House the construction of the batteries for electric vehicles as well as the ultimate disposal of them when they are past their useful life, is a very significant drain on natural resources. The construction of the batteries uses significant heavy metals and acids, and drains natural resources that should be used elsewhere. The disposal of these batteries will contaminate the earth for many years after they cease to be useable. ln addition, studies have confirmed that most electric vehicles are charged at home overnight from electricity generated by coal.
My personal opinion is that I am looking forward to EV’s becoming cheaper, and NOT being banned.