this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2025
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The graph fails the plausibility check of "does using fossil fuelled car pollute about the same as EVs" and the graph trying to make out that they do. I too can ask AI questions, but I think AIs are full of shit. Here it is anyway, and the fossil fuel cars are getting a free pass for ALL the CO2 emissions during generation, which as per my other comment, are about 50 times higher assuming that oil extraction and refinery isn't actually better than natural gas:
CO2 Emissions Comparison
Assumptions
Electric Vehicle (EV):
CO2 Emissions Calculation
Electric Vehicle (EV)
Energy consumption per mile:
Petrol Engine
CO2 emissions per mile:
Diesel Engine
CO2 emissions per mile:
Summary of CO2 Emissions per Mile Vehicle Type CO2 Emissions (gCO2/mile) Electric Vehicle (EV) 24.1 Petrol Engine 93.2 Diesel Engine 74.6
Conclusion Charging an electric vehicle overnight on a greener grid results in approximately 24.1 gCO2 per mile, which is significantly lower than the emissions from petrol engines at 93.2 gCO2 per mile and diesel engines at 74.6 gCO2 per mile. This comparison highlights the environmental advantages of EVs, especially when charged during times of high renewable energy availability. If you have any further questions or need more details, feel free to ask!
i've provided mistral with sources and asked it to summarize them, then do averages on those summarisations. i've not just asked it to pull data from wherever (except the scrapping thing). i too think ai's are full of shit, but i can go back and check because i provided the data.
the assumptions made in your text give a gCO~2~/kWh figure of about half the IEA's, where's that from? also, the emissions numbers of your fossil fuels engines are way off. assuming a fuel consumption of 10l/100km, the number for a petrol car would be 230g CO~2~/km rather than 150. also you're mixing your units a lot.
Yeah, like I say, AI is shit. Quoting it as an authoritative source is crazy, and AI is surprisingly bad at arithmetic.
The graphic is screwy. It doesn't pass plausibility test. Somehow the carbon cost of generating green electricity is far higher than the carbon cost of extracting oil and refining it. Someone's adding in a whole bunch of CO2 for manufacturing and installing some wind turbines but not for oil extraction machinery and oil refineries. Just the sheer quantity of steel alone isn't even comparable.
So no, you can chatgpt your argument as much as you like but you can't convince me that the cheapest greenest wind overnight electricity I power my EV with somehow took more CO2 by quite a margin than the oil extraction, oil tankers and oil refining that my neighbour's diesel car does. That's so backwards and obviously incorrect and I don't know why you persist with entertaining the idea.
that's not what my argument was at all, and not what the graph showed. anyway this gave me enough anxiety that i'm done
I only objected to the graphic because it makes obviously screwy claims about power generation, somehow concluding that electricity is more polluting than double that of oil extraction, refinery and transportation, which is clearly false unless you're in America or somewhere else that aggressively refuses to invest in wind and solar, despite onland wind being the cheapest form of electricity. The rest of the thread is you pointlessly trying to defend the absurd conclusion of the misleading graphic that it doesn't matter whether you buy a polluting car or not. It does.
My advice for everyone: Next car, buy electric for the planet's sake and the sheer joy of driving that brings (turn off spongy acceleration gasoline emulation mode), and buy second hand for your wallet and the planet's sake.
Don't believe the FUD around EVs; stop repeating the lies that the petrochemical industry is pushing so hard.