Unpopular Opinion

This is the latest in the series of SavingNinja‘s Thought Experiment posts.

This is an idea to get bloggers to immediately respond to a question and all post their answers on their blogs. You have to write the first thing you think of and can’t pre-plan or do any major editing.

If you want to see previous versions see SavingNinja’s archives.

So on to the question!

A different opinion is somewhat frowned upon in our clique based society, but some of the greatest minds of all time were outliers. They weren’t scared to go against the grain and stand up for what they believed in. So, for this Thought Experiment, I’d like you to reveal yourself: What opinion do you have that most of your peers do not share?

I know this is going to be a hard one to accept for a lot of people, but….. 

Electric Cars Aren’t Environmentally Friendly 

There has been a real increase in production of electric vehicles recently. This has (in my experience at least) also led to an increase in people boasting about their green credentials. People with a shiny new electric or hybrid vehicle are very quick to point out how much cleaner they are than traditionally powered vehicles. But let’s take a step back and think about this. 

Batteries 

Fundamentally, batteries are nasty things. They’re full of harmful and damaging chemicals/natural resources. So to install a huge battery in your electric vehicle doesn’t sit easy with me. Nickel, copper and lithium shortages are currently a concern for Tesla. Some manufacturers also use cobalt. Having a quick read about the mining processes for some of these minerals is pretty grim stuff. The mines are often in very poor countries, with even poorer health, safety and human rights standards. 

As well as during production, these batteries have a huge impact when you’re finished using them in your fancy, quiet car. They have a limited lifespan and eventually have to be replaced and disposed of. It remains to be seen how efficient this process can become but fingers crossed sufficient legislation will ensure the impact is minimised. 

Power Generation 

So we’ve covered the initial issues with installing a large battery in your vehicle. But how do you keep that battery charged? You plug it in to the national grid. Unfortunately, this means using power mostly generated from burning natural resources to recharge your car. This process seems to be overlooked by many electric vehicle owners.  

It could be argued that all of this power will eventually be generated by natural sources, but again this is doubtful. Especially in the UK, solar and wind power are actually very inefficient and unreliable.  Take a look at http://gridwatch.co.uk/. This great website shows you the sources of all UK electricity national grid power. Take a look at the yearly graph and you’ll see how inconsistent wind power can be. There will always need to be a reliable backup for the times when wind dips to almost zero. Similarly for solar, the chart dips to almost zero in those winter months where we get so little sunshine! 

Summary 

Having said all of that, it might be a surprise that I’m not actually against electric vehicles. I think any advancement in technology such as this is a positive step. But there’s still so much work to be done before people can claim their electric vehicle as a green miracle. There are still fundamental issues with these vehicles which need resolving.  

Companies like Tesla are pumping astonishing amounts of money into making these technologies more efficient, but at present it would be sensible to take a more rounded view on these vehicles and their benefit to the environment.  

Of course electric vehicles do offer many benefits over traditional vehicles. The improvements in direct air quality pollution are a huge benefit, especially to someone who walks to work like me. But this pollution is just being switched from the car into the power plants where the electricity is generated.  

The main issue, however, comes from the way most people use cars. For short journeys, a vehicle should not be necessary at all – regardless of the fuel type. If you’re physically able to, use your legs to walk or cycle instead! This is by far the most ‘green’ option, much outweighing any type of car. Design your life so that you don’t have to travel miles in a car to work or the shops. Live close to all of these things.  

While electric vehicles are undoubtedly a positive advancement, it pays to ‘challenge everything’! 

Other Participants

I’ll add links to the other participants in this Thought Experiment below when they are published. Please give them all a read and tell them what you think!

• Our very own Miss Way!
• Saving Ninja
• in-deed-a-bly
• Caveman @ DitchTheCave
• Merely curious
• Marc @ FinanceYourFire
• Dr FIRE
• A Simple Life
• Money For The Modern Girl

If you want to take part yourself, please contact @SavingNinja on Twitter or contact him on his website.