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Comment by adrianN

9 hours ago

Even modern cars pollute a lot (especially in winter) because you need a certain temperature for the cats to start working. On short city trips it happens frequently that you never reach proper operating temperatures.

12 comments

adrianN

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chrisbrandow  7 hours ago

I used to work for the Air Resources Board of California, and while there is a warm-up period, modern ice cars are so profoundly cleaner than cars even from the early 2000s. It’s pretty stunning.

Regardless, there’s nothing cleaner than no combustion, and I can’t wait until EV‘s have replaced them all

  • trimethylpurine  3 hours ago

    [flagged]

    • decimalenough  2 hours ago

      Every single survey that I'm aware has concluded that by any measure EVs are more environmentally friendly than ICEs. The only caveat is that the "startup" footprint of an EV is higher (because batteries), but the ongoing cost is far lower, even with polluting electricity sources like coal, because it's still way more efficient to burn coal in a proper power plant than it is to ship around gasoline and burn it badly in ICEs. The breakeven point (depending on your assumptions and driving habits) is a couple of years in, and after that EVs wipe the floor with ICEs.

      Here's a bunch of those surveys: https://evcentral.com.au/which-is-best-for-the-environment-e...

      Keen to hear your expert opinion on what (eg) the International Energy Agency got wrong.

      3 replies →

lukan  5 hours ago

Yes, any cyclist daring to drive in winter can easily confirm this. It is so disgusting (and unhealthy) having to stand behind a ICE car on a traffic light and being behind a electric car is such a relief, that thoughts of wishing to ban all ICE cars as soon as possible (at least in cities) come automatically.

  • memen  4 hours ago

    Modern ICE cars have auto start/stop systems, so on a traffic light it has as much exhaust as an EV.

    • adev_  2 hours ago

      > auto start/stop systems

      Most start stop systems will disable themselves when the heater of the car is turned ON and the car engine not hot enough yet.

      As a cyclist (or motorbike owner), it is pretty usual in city to have >50% cars with engines ON at traffic light in cities when temperature are low.

    • lukan  4 hours ago

      Also when the temperature is really low? Does not seem like it.

      Also at some point they will start their engines again. Guess who will inhale that?

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