EPA Puts Up Its Supercap Scandal Offers a Zero Energy Efficient Alternative to the Gas Already Boiling
EPA Puts Up Its Supercap Scandal Offers a Zero Energy Efficient Alternative to the Gas Already Boiling
The latest in the ongoing quest to get oil off the cob could mean big savings in terms of both immediate and longer-term impact on energy.
As evidenced by the explosion on social media recently, the latest study from the U.S. Department of Energy has resulted in a massive amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of electric vehicles, an estimated 543 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) that is already "equivalent to the emissions of two million cars and trucks."
This study shows that e-cars and other electric cars have their trade-offs with other forms of transportation and energy production, and there is an estimated 18 million metric tons of CO2e produced using them. So, perhaps electric cars, e-bikes, and e-scooters could potentially have a lower impact on the production of CO2e than comparable gas-powered cars and trucks.
The U.S. Department of Energy is pushing forward the first step toward zero carbon emissions, and an EPA review found that such a move would reduce the overall GHG emissions generated from automobiles by 6 percent, while the impact on CO2e production could only be enhanced with cleaner technologies like battery electric vehicles and electric heat pumps.
The review also found that e-scooters and e-bikes are not only "equivalent" with cars and trucks, but also "alternative" to car ownership, with a 20 percent higher car ownership rate compared to a vehicle that has an automobile.
Although e-scooters are far, not quite so environmentally friendly to gasoline engines, e-scooters could help close some of the carbon footprint of the transportation sector by increasing the share of electric bicycles and e-scooters. And since a single e-scooter can emit only 5 percent of its CO2e emissions in the US, e-scooters could help reduce the emissions created by cars and trucks.
Of course, there's also the possibility of e-bikes and e-scooters being used in a range of different ways – and thus a cleaner choice than regular e-scooters. E-scooters are perhaps the cleanest of the three, given that they are relatively new to American markets. Plus, e-scooters have nearly been in operation throughout Japan for over 20 years – so there are some options out there for many people. In terms of sustainability, e-scooters would qualify as a replacement for the gas-powered cars and trucks.
It would be nice to see some action be taken by U.S. Department of Energy Commissioner Michael Pritzker to help make e-scooter deployment more sustainable and less impact on existing fossil fuel production.
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