An EV will consume fewer fossil fuel resources than an infernal-combusted equivalent over its perhaps 10 to 20 year lifetime.
But most of the roughly 4 tonnes of CO2 it will generate just to come to market will be in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. And this bit matters more than the first.
Somewhat less fossil fuel is better than nothing. But we need to be heading towards *radically* less.
How shall we do that?
https://mastodon.social/@urlyman/116294326872514865
…FWIW, here are some thoughts:
Massively invest in electrified public transport and distribution systems, especially those for food. Use human power as much as possible for ‘last mile(s)’ delivery*.
Do this ahead of radically disincentivising private vehicle ownership. Make it progressively punitively expensive over relatively few years.
Massively incentivise producing the lightest vehicles possible.
*Other than our own bodies, the lightest, most efficient vehicle known to us is the bicycle
And to build those electrified public transport systems to last 50-100 or more years instead of 10 or 20. The systems part is important: maintenance is important but is often cut as an operating expense, while capital expenses are magically depreciated away. We can't afford this wastefulness.
Jonathan Schofield
Hamish Buchanan
EF