Optimal Energy is headed by Kobus Meiring, who worked at Denel Aviation in the 1980s and 1990s. More recently he was project manager of the Southern African Large Telescope project in Sutherland. - IOL
NVDL: Are electric cars the solution? Imagine the sort of strain on the grid if overnight (as the carmakers recommend) hundreds of thousands of car batteries are plugged into the grid?
On the face of it we might think that there is a pollution saving, and there might be. But think of it this way. Tens of thousands of vehicles now have to replaced, including engines. Infratructure has be built. And energy still has to be provided for those batteries.
That energy still comes from coal powered plants. It's still fossil fuels keeping the system running - or trying. Once again we are not addressing the problem. We need to consume less energy. We need more walkable communities. We need to change our living, working and leisure arrangements.
Electric cars are a positive step, but not a solution. We are simply substituting one form of consumption for another. The other issue is the limitations of these batteries, in terms of both the lifespan, cost, range etc. Current range is 200km.
 clipped from www.iol.co.za
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