Like other fuel-cell cars, the Equinox generates electricity from a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, with no smog-forming emissions or greenhouse gases.Of course, they don't mention where the hydrogen comes from: fossil fuels, notably natural gas, which is burned:
CH4 + O2 -> CO2 + 2H2That means that carbon dioxide, CO2, a greenhouse gas, is emitted to produce the fuel. (The other common source is coal, which is much worse.) The car doesn't emit it – that's taken care of already. And, as a matter of fact, the somewhat inefficient intermediate step of going to hydrogen means that this car burns 30% more fuel than a vehicle that runs directly on natural gas. But you won't see that anywhere in the article, since the Times is too busy making mouth love to a major advertiser.
Granted, hydrogen could be produced through solar or wind power. Someday, maybe, when and if government decides to subsidize that instead of petroleum extraction. It just isn't currently. But to read the Times, you'd think these things were powered by environmentally beneficial fairy sparkles.
2 comments:
In Scotland, they're debating putting a 7000 unit wind farm 12 miles off the coast in the open ocean.
And in Palm Springs, they already have an enormous wind farm! It provides most of the energy for the area already.
Solar & wind power generation are great – I invest in them & donate towards their construction. Unfortunately, US & Canadian governments are actively working against agreements on climate change, and giving nearly all of the tax incentives for fossil fuel extraction. We have to push our governments to change this.
Unfortunately, if we're honest about who really needs to change, we need only look in the mirror.
Post a Comment