Dear Editor,
Ros Coward's piece on electric and low-emission cars (The Guardian, 8th Jan 2022, link below) broke my heart in two ways ...
First it is obvious that Ros has a deep and sincere desire to help the environment but, at this late stage, switching to electric cars (and trucks?) is simply not enough. Second was the fact that the media still promote this as a valid path to take. Here we need to ask ourselves one or two very simple questions ...
Why can't Ros and John instead take public transport in order to visit their grandchild on the other side of London?
Once the bulk of people have electric cars, then Ros and John won't be able to (smuggly?) breeze through central London: It will be clogged up just as much as before.
And electric cars are definitely not without pollution as ...
Abrasion from brakes and tyres produces dangerous, toxic, microplastic dust with the fact that electric vehicles have higher weight and significantly higher torque meaning that they emit more of this. Indeed, here in Germany, over 100'000 tonnes of tyre-dust are "emitted" every year! This dust is then carried on the wind and washed into the oceans.
Electric vehicles may not directly emit CO2, but that electricity needs to be produced somehow so emissions (CO2, particulates and nuclear waste) occur elsewhere. And even renewable sources have their environmental costs (in location, manufacture, construction, maintenance, etc.) which should not be discounted.
And we need to consider the environmental, social and material costs of the construction of the cars themselves: Both for the car and the batteries which demand high levels of energy and toxic materials (e.g. rare-earths such as lithium) for their production. Indeed, competition for materials could become as ugly as the wars and social dislocation caused by the greed for oil.
Here, potentially, if people believe that electric cars are "pollution free", then they will increase their use of those and we will be in a worse position than before.
Regarding Ros and John's trip to France (where they found ample charging points) let's not forget that France is massively dependent on nuclear energy! So why not combine modes of transport: My partner and I have had great holidays where we have taken first the train and then used rental-cars, local buses, rented bicycles and hitch-hiking (and walking!) to explore our destination.
Yes, why is the motor-car the "only game in town"? We urgently need to expand our thinking here ... and "take away some of our (more damaging) toys"!
Regards
