Do you have specific documentation to back up your claim that building a Tesla is as bad or worse than building a comperable BMW 5 or 7 series?
this was a general comment made in regards to 3 things:
1. the greenest car is almost always the one you are already driving, it takes a lot of energy and resources to make any new car. since you asked for sources here's one that takes a fair stab at buy used good mileage ice car or buy new prius -
Is it more energy-efficient to buy a used car than a brand-new hybrid?
he comes out noting the prius is ahead, but i think there are a fair bit of assumptions in that too.
also note the green ROI i think is rarely achieved by the typical first owner of the vehicle. of course cops are always buying new cars as fleet vehicles so comparing new ice vs. new hybrid the latter would be greener over time (realized by some owner though, not necessarily them)
2. hybrids in general take even more energy to produce, particularly because of the batteries
this is not really a controversial statement, the article above for example even notes the highlander estimated at 107m btu with the hybrid version at 155.
then again, the tesla is a full EV and not a hybrid. on one hand, no need to make an engine, on the other, a whole lot more batteries. in the end i feel 100% confident asserting the tesla costs more to make than a 5 or 7.
3. the energy that goes into creating the electricity the cars use is still quite dirty. here is a pretty fair article on various angles, studies and sources on that.
How green is a Tesla? Electric cars’ environmental impact depends on where you live.
an interesting snippet from this article
Meanwhile, Tesla, Nissan, and other automakers are working feverishly to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of batteries. The technology isn’t advancing exponentially, as it has with computer processors, but it is advancing.
as mike k loves, i always point this out as something people who have a romantic relationship with teslas/full evs don't get (nor stockholders IMO) - tesla is bound to battery chemistry. while many people delude themselves into believing they are bound to computer technology. they grew up with heavy computers that now fill it in their jeans pocket, and expect electric vehicles to do the same, ignoring that full ev is over a 100 year old idea.
From my research it appears Tesla is constantly looking for ways to save money and use renewable energy where ever they can.
sure, but that doesn't mean the stuff they are working with isn't costly already. IMO their next biggest real gain would be using something like bmw's carbon fiber frame technology as is done in the i3 and i8. both cars, by the way, that offer full ev as well as hybrid versions.
My example would be their new Gigafactory they are building. They are also going to have an entire solar panel field next to it to power the facility. Seems as though they are making strides in the green direction.
i am interested to see how well that all (gigafactory) works or if this will be one atrocious boondoggle.
what a waste of money
