If the Electric Car is to be Fully Green, the Manufacturing Must be Green

   As the argument goes, electric cars are not so green, after all. What with all the energy it takes to produce the batteries -- especially the batteries -- and all the other parts in a car, the emissions for an electric car are not so far less those for a conventional car.
   If we just take the creation of the car, emissions from carbon dioxide are actually greater. They pull out this statistics: It takes 25,000 pounds of CO2 to produce an electric car, only 16,000 for a conventional car.
   I am not so blind that I cannot see through this argument. If the mining and manufacturing processes remain a problem -- because they also use fossil fuels -- then you simply need to take away the fossil fuels at that point, as well. Rather than throwing out the electric car, throw out the fossil fuels used to make the electric car.
   Perhaps we can't, altogether. It takes massive amounts of energy to mine and refine metals. It takes great amounts to mold,shape and fashion everything to the point of becoming a car. But, just as the electrics car are often hybrids, perhaps manufacturing plants will need to be hybrids.
   I do not know whether solar- and wind- and hydro-powered manufacturing plants are used much at all. I do not know how gigantic the solar panels would have to be, or how large or how many wind mills would be needed. I don't know if a manufacturing plant could locate right next to a river, and produce all the energy it needs for its own purposes. But, I can see that wind, solar, and hydro are answers to those who argue that the electric car is not so green.

(Index -- Climate change info)