In article ,
says...

In article ,
says...

On Tue, 21 May 2013 08:51:56 -0500, Boating All Out
wrote:

Yeah, don't those fools who use flashlights know that they aren't going
to work? And that car battery that starts the car, who would be so
foolish as to depend on that?

The ignorance is kind of funny. No concept of the advantage of electric
power plant efficiency vs internal combustion engine efficiency.
Basically just knees jerking all over the place.

If the power plant is an old technology coal plant, the modern
gasoline engine is a lot cleaner.

No. It's not.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/au...-are-electric-
cars-depends-on-where-you-plug-in.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Even where dirty coal is generating the electricity, it takes a 40-50
mpg ICE car to beat an electric car in carbon emissions.
Who's driving a 40-50 mpg (combined) in coal country? They aren't
common, and probably never will be.
There are other power plant emissions beside greenhouse, and they aren't
addressed in the article. So you have to define "dirty" before making
such generalizations. Modern ICE cars with cats are really good at not
emitting poisons. But coal use is decreasing, probably less than 40%
total now, and will have to become "clean" to survive the EPA.

There are also transmission line losses. That averages 6-7% but in the
north east where the lines are running over the design capacity, those
losses are much higher. IAEI had an article in their magazine a few
years ago talking about the problems of line sag because these wires
are running so hot.. Heat is lost energy.

It is easy to say we will just upgrade the grid but nobody wants a
power line in their back yard.

The grid will be updated. But you won't be around to see it. Just like
my grand pappy never saw an interstate highway.
Of course maybe there'll be a zombie apocalypse. Never know.

What is amazingly hilarious is that these same types of arguments arose
when the internal combustion engine was in it's infancy! I'd bet that
the same holds true for steam, and probably when caveman made fire, they
thought that that damned new technology would burn up all of the wood
they use to built shelter....