[eshvk]

> Fuel cell vehicles have never made any sense.

The only reason for me to get an Electric Vehicle is the green factor. If instead of my car polluting the environment, there is an increase in say coal factories, not sure how that helps the environment. So there is a need for fuel cells.

[toomuchtodo]

Electric vehicles are more efficient well to wheel than gas engines, even if powered by coal plants.

Do you want to manage the emissions from one generation source? Or 100K? Also, as the electrical grid becomes more clean, EVs become cleaner. Not so with ICE vehicles.

[stonemetal]

Actually a study from 2012 shows battery backed EVs getting 34 mpg "on the nation’s dirtiest grid". A good diesel can do much better than that. It isn't so cut and dried as you make it sound.

[toomuchtodo]

The share of wind and solar increases every year: http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec7_5.pdf

A diesel vehicle has a service life of at least 200K miles; assuming 12K/miles a year, you're looking at ~16 years of burning petrol.

How much cleaner is the electric grid going to be over the next 16 years as coal plants are shut down due to being unable to meet new emissions guidelines? Electric vehicles future proof the energy required for mobility.

[stonemetal]

>According to the 2010 California Low Carbon Fuel Standard Final Regulation Order, fuel-cell cars have an average lifetime greenhouse gas emissions rate of 61.83 grams of carbon dioxide per megajoule. This is for hydrogen produced through the popular natural gas reforming process.

Electricity, on the other hand, was determined to have average lifetime greenhouse gas emissions of 41.37g/mj.

http://ecomento.com/guide/hydrogen-fuel-cell-vs-battery-elec...

Currently fuel cell backed EVs produce ~50% more greenhouse gas emissions than battery backed EVs. If you are going for green factor take the batteries.

[mikeash]

How is it that you assign EVs to the "increase in coal [power plants]" category, but not fuel cell cars?

Both require energy. It's not like hydrogen is just sitting around ready to go in your car.