Plug-ins will soon invade our roads. And ‘soon’ may mean 5 years from now or lesser. But recent findings about plug-ins left me startled…
Reports say they could slash oil use but could worsen air pollution in some areas. They are built to cut harmful emissions at the same time improve mileage. How come they could worsen air pollution?
The reason behind is that the vehicle’s lower tailpipe emissions may be offset by smokestack emissions from the utility generating plants supplying electricity to recharge the big batteries that allow plug-ins to run up to 40 miles without kicking on their gasoline engines, according to USA Today.
The longer a plug-in runs on the batteries alone, the less gasoline it uses. The more electricity it needs, however, the larger are the batteries. Moreover, the longer the plug-in runs on electricity, the greater the charge needed and the more the pollution will be caused by power generation.
If more plug-ins were being recharged with power from the usual coal plants, “There is likelihood for significant increases of soot and mercury,” said a report from Natural Resources Defense Council. As we know, soot and mercury are dangerous to our health.
“We look at plug-in hybrids as the next generation of hybrids. They run cleaner, they save oil and they can save consumers money at the pump,” said Luke Tonachel, vehicles analyst at the NRDC. But, he stressed: “Until our oldest power plants are replaced or upgraded, there could be increases in local particulate matter and ozone.”
“Plug-in hybrids are perhaps not good for all areas,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. In “states that are heavily coal, that equation doesn’t work out very well for the environment.”
Another issue worthy of emphasis is that involving sulfur dioxide emissions. A study by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency that found plug-ins could result in more SO2 emissions. In large amounts, SO2 is toxic.
The said study concluded: “Alternative vehicles offer benefits, but no single technology currently stands out as a clear choice.”
Now, how do you rate plug-ins?
