Pipcecil
Well-known member
If you are really comparing apples to apples, the indirect affects of transportation must be taken into account. Lets take oil - most is piped until it needs to meet the end user. The remaining that is not piped is sent by rail, which has a polition concern of itself. Once it gets to its "major destination" its transported via truck to gas stations, independent of time (meaning they can't wait to truck at night, etc.). The additional vehicles on the roadway (especially during peak hours of traffic), not only generate pollution themselves, but contribute to more traffic, thereby causing more idling vehicles (mostly on gas) which only compounds the problem. This is versus the transmission of electricity, which goes by electric lines, a seemingly easier and more efficent (and more enviro friendly). I guess to make things easier, we could argue the maintence of the trains/truck fleet would equal the electrical infrastructure.
For an all coal production, your are using trains to bring the coal to the plant directly (there isn't a single coal plant i know that doesn't receive by rail, it would be too difficult). Coal trains are very long and very slow, probably the largest emission producers of all the train transportation of goods. So that will also factor into the equation.
I honestly think once you add transportation cost (in emissions) in comparison to electricity, the whole comparison favors electricity even more. You can't discount the benefits of the transmission of the "fuel" for EVs versus that of gas.
For an all coal production, your are using trains to bring the coal to the plant directly (there isn't a single coal plant i know that doesn't receive by rail, it would be too difficult). Coal trains are very long and very slow, probably the largest emission producers of all the train transportation of goods. So that will also factor into the equation.
I honestly think once you add transportation cost (in emissions) in comparison to electricity, the whole comparison favors electricity even more. You can't discount the benefits of the transmission of the "fuel" for EVs versus that of gas.