The Dirty Truth about Combustion Engine Vehicles

[ARealHuman]

An interesting and informative video, albeit slightly despressing too.

 

[BillyWhizz]

I watched this the other day it certainly makes you think I am no eco warrior but when you watch this how can this continue

 

[ARealHuman]

Agreed. The only thing I'd like to see added to this video is sources for the quoted info, just to head off those "you made those figures up" type of comments.

 

[AdamMGEV]

I think its a great video that makes people think. I shared it on Facebook for friends to see

 

[KasEV]

True ICE emissions are NOT GOOD for the environment.
EVs are better as they do not emit.
But......... well is it that simply??????
This video paints too rosy a picture for EVs.
The truth is that unless we can improve EV battery technology / battery reuse technology, electricity generation technology, lithium, cobalt and nickel mining technology we face a very bleak ev future and the level of total environmental harm may be more or less same as continuing with ICE.
Let's take lithium for example. If the whole world were to switch to EVs such that every vehicle on the road today was an EV based on today's battery tech and have same range as they currently have, then Australia would have turned into an inhabitable ex-lithium mine desert as a result of water shortage, water pollution and drought induced famine. All from lithium mining and coal mining. The areas in Argentina, Chile etc where lithium is mined from brine marshes or lake beds will turn in inhabitable swamps with extensive collateral environmental damage causing a complete stop to cattle farming and crop farming in these areas. And in addition we will still have to use Oil and coal to generate most of the electricity to charge all the EVs. In such a situation the gain from changing to EV will be zero and we will have succeed in creating a complete continental desert in Australia and devasted parts of Central Africa, China, South America considering the areas were we get the nickel, cobalt and the other rare earth stuff that go into batteries which will become economic and environmental zones of death for the local population as is the case in some parts of Africa and China already today.
The world as it is today is simply not EV ready and it is not because people do not want to buy EVs or are soo dumb they do not accept that ICE pollute (exception being one Donald Trump).
Simply tech has not brought us far enough at present to go full blast for EVs and the way forward is definitely maintaining the best quality in ICE while pushing hard to get EV tech and all it associated industries ready.
For now both those buying less polluting ICE and those buying EV are all currently contributing equally to a better future.
I think the UK government despite its faults and weaknesses has got the balance right.
The UK bringing its new ICE ban slightly forward and promoting less ICE use in inner city areas while giving universities grants for EV battery research is all part of such steady and sensible approach. In fact so far as total environmental damage is concerned, one must always remember that after coal and oil, have been mined it is relatively straightforward to reclaim and reuse the land. Currently it is impossible to repurpose land were any of the stuff that goes into batteries are mined.
Yes CO2 emissions is a big issue and one should do everything possible to reduce their personal CO2 footprint but CO2 it is not the whole story.
If you spend a few minutes looking at all sides of the issues and investigate lithium, cobalt and nickel mining then you will come to a sober realisation that it is not a simple issue of EV reduce emissions so they are better overall. Absolutely not so. At least not until battery tech, electricity generation and mining tech have made the improvements that are required to make lithium, cobalt and nickel mining etc electricity generation sustainable in the long term.
So one may ask how do I contribute more as a EV owner apart from advocating that others buy EVs by a more sensible and balanced debate rather than this simple ICE bad EV good approach?
In fact according to some analysts the best way current EV owners can contribute to the environment is not by engaging in meaningless EV better than ICE debate but by building a culture of utility-led ev purchasing so that by the time ICE owning folk turn in their masses to buying EVs this culture will be so well established that ICE folk will follow it when buying their EVs and buy an EV that matches their regular and routine requirements rather than the current attitude of most ICE buyers which is go big and fast and hence more polluting.
I think on this last point we ZS EV and MG5 EV owner are well in line by UK standards.
Currently this concept of utility led ev purchase has caught on in China propelling the Wuling-Mini to the top of EV sales and encouraging more and more Chinese into the EV market. So much so that some say the W-Mini is the most cost effective and probably most socio-environmentally responsible EV among all of SAIC's EV collaborations. I am doubtful they will produce a MG version.
Anyway because of the W-Mini range limitation it may not catch on here although it has enough range for the average UK, school run + work commute.
Philosophically..... the issue is one of whether humans are addicted to all things that pollute and make our environment worse?????
Ps
Speaking about Governments this video singles out Norway for praise.
Well Norway is one of the world's leading producers of Oil. I am doubtful Norway will stop producing Oil soon and as long the the Norwagien economy remains Oil dependent I think changing all cars in Norway to EVs will make a difference only locally in Norway but not globally. The Oil that Norway produces will go somewhere with less stringent environmental laws to cause more pollution globally.
I am very supportive of what Norway is doing to support EVs but one should not take it as an example of the best global solutions.

 

[Cocijo]

A good thought provoking piece. To add my thoughts - aside from improving the type of propulsion we use (including other industries) it’s our behaviours that have the most impact. Many households now have 2+ cars. Public transport has not, for various reasons, succeeded In attracting people as intended. We still make many unnecessary journeys. We love being able to fly across the globe. We like our own spaces. despite stop/start tech many ICE cars are left ticking over for billions of hours across the world - especially where fuel is cheap. It’s interesting that the biggest single positive impact on the climate in many years has come out of a pandemic that will have a lasting effect on how we work and play going forward.

 

[ARealHuman]

I think it's also necessary to look beyond traditional EVs - hydrogen-powered engines came on leaps and bounds last year with the discoveries of new materials and nano-technology.