Are the new London buses with electric motors as green as they claim to be?
Although you don't cover buses, I thought you may have some thoughts about the new double-decker London bus featured on a recent ‘Top Gear’ programme. All-British in design and manufacture, it features a diesel engine that charges the batteries that operate the electric motors. Given that translating power in any form involves a loss of energy, this means that the diesel engine has to be larger to cover the power loss in charging the batteries. This creates more pollution. Then there is the pollution in manufacturing and then disposing of the batteries. To make this bus even more green it could have a series of small windmills of the roof to help charge the batteries while the bus is moving. Is this the way forward?
Asked on 23 November 2013 by DP, Upwood, Cambs.
Answered by
Honest John
Diesel produces the most energy with the least loss of any vehicle fuel. Plug-in electric power in vehicles always involves considerable energy loss between the generation of the energy and actually using it. And if it was originally generated by an oil or coal fired power station, the total CO2 emitted can actually be greater than from a diesel engined car.
Tags:
electric cars
If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.
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