Why Electric Vehicles Are NOT The Future (Yet) with Nick Molden

In this episode of Conversations on Climate, Chris Caldwell sits down with Nick Molden, the CEO of Emissions Analytics, to discuss the dark side of electric vehicles (EVs), the importance of data integrity, and the future of transportation.

Nick, a self-proclaimed data-driven environmentalist, shares his insights on the parallels between the dieselgate scandal and the current climate change debate, and the challenges of balancing human progress with environmental sustainability.

They also delve into the complexities of tire emissions, the benefits and drawbacks of synthetic fuels, and the potential of nuclear power as a solution to the CO2 problem. This thought-provoking conversation aims to answer the question Why Electric Vehicles Are NOT The Future (Yet)? and the answers will leave you questioning the assumptions you have about the future of transportation and the role of data in shaping environmental policy. Stay tuned in to learn more!

 

…and what's happened for 30 years is we've offshored CO2 production… it's just being produced in other countries. We have moved things progressively offshore in this perverse world where you set something up as a metric which you know is not true. You lead to perverse outcomes, and it's exactly the same as diesel. You set up a test, a measure which you knew to be wrong.

I have no doubt if if the European authorities were sufficiently dogged about it, they could force every vehicle on the road to be electric. Question is, at what price?

So if we were to scrap all the environmental things today, it would be great for today and terrible for people tomorrow…

 

Highlights:

00:02 Challenges in sourcing uranium and handling its depletion and waste.

02:30 Environmental progress through technological advance

07:26 Uncertainty about legality of defeat devices in Asia

09:47 Electric vehicles are not zero emission

14:12 Europe's regulatory approach is driven by politics and industry ties

16:45 Data collection and analysis challenges in complex systems

20:52 Tires pose complex problems for all vehicles

22:47 Tires from cars contribute to global environmental pollution.

26:40 Properly pricing externalities can lead to more environmentally friendly choices

28:39 Paying a proper price generates revenue for investing in new technologies or compensating those affected.

32:33 Focus shifting towards reducing environmental impact in manufacturing phase

34:41 Nuclear power can be used to create synthetic liquid fuels.

38:20 Europe's strong push towards electric vehicles may face challenges in reality

40:22 UK manufacturing industry requests £7.7 billion in subsidies for 270,000 electric vehicle sales.

44:29 Transition to 100% electric vehicles requires massive investment and is currently unpalatable. 46:27 Shifting from private cars to public transport may require a greater increase in public transport provision.

50:25 Impact of electrification on European Auto industry competitiveness

52:20 China's advantage in EV supply chains to Europeans

56:18 Offshored CO2 production leading to misleading CO2 reduction claims.

58:24 Setting up inaccurate metrics leads to perverse incentives and undesirable outcomes.

 

References:

https://www.emissionsanalytics.com/management-team

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-molden-9958331/recent-activity/all/?trk=author-info__article-link

 

This episode of Conversations on Climate is a podcast brought to you in association with UNITED RENEWABLES and recorded at Imperial College London. We bring together the best minds from academia and business, to offer their experience and expertise in the face of climate change – from game theorists to corporate diplomats, and oil industry veterans to micro-algae entrepreneurs. 

 

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