So, I didn’t plan on this post following up on my last one about electric vehicles and climate issues, but here we are. Down the rabbit hole I went, only to emerge swamped with the usual lefty political claptrap. You know, the “world’s ending unless we all do an abrupt 180 and change everything yesterday” sort of guff. According to them, we’re basically toast in a decade if we don’t get our act together.
Well, here’s the thing: that’s a steaming pile of codswallop. Let’s cut through the nonsense with some actual facts—historical evidence that debunks this doom-and-gloom malarkey.
Are we doing stupid stuff that’s causing problems and might cause more in the future? Absolutely. But do we need to flip our entire way of life upside down within the next decade or so? Give me a break. Politicians love to flap their gums with slogans like “Carbon Zero by 2050,” as if repeating it enough times makes it true. All these buzzwords—carbon neutral, net zero, carbon positive—sound grand, but it’s mostly just hot air.
Let’s get real here. Australia’s impact on global emissions is less than 1%. Yes, less than 1%! Yet, we’re acting like we need to single-handedly save the planet by torpedoing our car industry and other sectors. Sure, we need to make changes, but the tech isn’t solid enough yet to justify flipping everything on its head. Check out this ad—it’s a laugh and also hits the nail on the head.
Here’s the kicker: making electric vehicles (EVs) isn’t as eco-friendly as the tree-huggers want you to believe. For an EV to start doing any good for the environment, it needs to last a decade. Yep, a full ten years. And considering how these batteries are performing nowadays, that’s a pretty big ask.
In my humble opinion, hybrids seem to strike the right balance. If you want the real lowdown on reducing transport emissions, it’s about ditching roads for mass transit—trains and trams all the way. Trains take you from station to station over long distances, and trams handle the short hops every 500 metres. Plus, they run 24/7. Meanwhile, planes and shipping are pumping out more emissions than all the cars on the planet combined. Why aren’t all ships running on nuclear power? Because it’s easier to point fingers at consumers than to admit governments are dropping the ball on industry regulations.
For those of us dealing with chilly weather, an EV’s performance is about as reliable as a bloke promising to fix the shed roof next weekend. Testing shows a whopping 20% to 35% drop in battery life in cold and wet conditions. So, if you’re parking outside during winter, good luck getting anywhere. Here’s a chart that lays it out—watch the video from What Car! for a proper wake-up call.
Then there’s the absurdity of electric utes (or “pickup trucks” for our mates across the pond). Use them for what they’re designed for—carrying loads and towing—and you’re lucky to get 160km out of a charge. Yeah, good luck finding a charging station every 130km. And that’s not even considering the weather and wind cutting down that range further. So why the hell are we pushing electric utes as the new standard when they can’t even do what a ute is supposed to do?
Living in an apartment and fancy an EV? Ha! Good luck charging it. Most apartment buildings aren’t ready for individual charging stations, which means you’ll be hanging around communal ones—if you can even find an open spot. Sure, eventually, buildings might accommodate personal chargers, but for now, you’re in for a whole lot of hassle and extra costs.
The Rational Approach
Toyota seems to have it right—let’s focus on hybrids for now. If you can cut fuel consumption from 8 litres per 100km down to 1.5 litres per 100km with a hybrid, that’s a big win. Then, once the infrastructure and technology catch up, we can think about full EVs that actually meet our needs without the fuss.
So, while we clearly need to make some changes, let’s keep our heads screwed on and not dive into the carbon zero fantasy without a dose of Aussie practicality. Because, honestly, the only thing hitting zero right now is the sense in flipping everything for technology that’s still on training wheels.
I don’t plan on writing about anything EV again! Just saying!
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