Sustainable Living is About More Than Just Driving an Electric Car – Here's Why
I attract these discussions like a rotten apple attracts wasps.
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Like in a cartoon movie, I saw steam hissing out of his nostrils.
He was boiling. Not really.
But he was furious. How dare I question his climate-saving lifestyle?
To be honest, I didn't. It was much worse.
I laughed at him.
But in his infinite arrogance as the savior of the planet, he didn't realize that, of course.
He was convinced that his Tesla was saving our planet.
Well, here we are…
Some readers will not like this article at all. Because they were persuaded to overlook logical arguments. We were all deceived.
With half-truths and some bare lies. But see for yourself what your opinion is.
In this article, I'll show you what it means to live sustainably. And that driving an electric car certainly doesn't belong in this category.
What is sustainability?
When you think of sustainability, you often think of switching to an electric vehicle. Or using a reusable shopping bag. Or setting up a compost pile in the garden.
That's all well and good, But a sustainable lifestyle is about much more than swapping your petrol car for a Tesla.
It's much more about seeing the world holistically. In other words, an approach that puts nature at its center. And one that involves making conscious decisions about everything from what you eat to how you spend your free time.
Why sustainable living is more than just electric cars
The thing is: driving an electric car sounds like the epitome of a sustainable lifestyle, doesn't it? But if you take a closer look, you will be disappointed.
Why?
Because when it comes to an EV, sustainability is suddenly not that important. Some facts are hardly ever discussed. And so most of us are not aware of them.
Still with me?
Ok.
Let's see what drives me crazy.
Weight
An electric vehicle weighs significantly more than a comparable car. Not 5%.
No, often up to 30%. What does that mean? A lot more material is used, especially metals and plastics.
Where do they come from?
Mostly from very far away. Car companies transport the raw materials by ship or train. And they usually run on heavy fuel oil or diesel. I call that outsourcing of pollution.
https://www.evspecs.org/electric-cars-weight-comparison-chart
The weight of these vehicles is also a problem in other areas, we never think about.
The existing infrastructure is simply not designed to cope with the increasing weight of battery-powered vehicles. Roads and bridges are particularly at risk. It is only a matter of time before we hear and read about further collapses, for example parking garages.
Anyone who paid attention to physics for two hours knows that more mass takes more force to stop.
So: longer braking distances. More accidents. More victims. As this report clearly states.
https://www.axios.com/2023/04/28/evs-weight-safety-problems
And more metals
Not only is the transport an extra burden on the environment. But also the origin. Metals like iron or aluminum are not just found.
They have to be mined. Huge amounts of rock have to be blasted, removed, and loaded. What do you use to do that?
Exactly! Bulldozers.
And they are ALL diesel-powered. (One wonders why?)
Rare metals
You've probably heard about it. But we don't want to discuss it: child labor!
In the production of batteries, we need rare metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. In particular, cobalt is mined under inhumane conditions.
The Republic of Congo is the main supplier. And children's rights do not exist there. You've seen pictures of it. Look at them again.
If you can support this with a clear conscience.
Well, I can't.
I find it more than questionable that I have to accept this for my laptop and cell phone batteries.
The lifespan
It is no longer a secret that the lifespan of electric cars is not exactly convincing. Well, the performance of a battery decreases.
Until at some point, it can no longer be charged or the range of the vehicle becomes so small that it becomes a nuisance.
This means nothing more than that you have to exchange your car (or at least the battery) for a new one sooner. So more waste that can’t be recycled.
More material that is no longer available to future generations.
Diesel dust
In some European cities, diesel vehicles are already banned from city centers. They are no longer allowed to drive because of the dust pollution. I do not doubt that this dust is unhealthy.
But why are we only talking about diesel dust and not the dust caused by electric vehicles?
As already mentioned, EVs are much heavier. What does that mean when braking? Exactly. You don't have to be a physics professor to follow this logic.
A heavier vehicle has to be braked with much more force.
The issue?
You guessed it.
Brake discs.
The abrasion of the brake discs causes dust. More dust than your 15-year-old Toyota or Passat! The brake discs are the same as they were 30 years ago. And it is precisely this dust that is now causing headaches for many experts.
Because it is increasing all the time. And because it is at least as unhealthy as diesel exhaust dust.
https://www.smarthomecharge.co.uk/features/its-not-easy-being-green/
And where does the electricity come from?
Story Time.
In the city where I live nearby, the media celebrated the new city buses.
Super-modern equipment, great design. A joy for all users of public transport. Electric buses, of course. The population cheers.
At least that's what the media says. The irony of the story: The energy needed.
Where are the buses charged for their daily trips?
At new charging stations. Which are powered by diesel.
Wait, what???
You can't make up such nonsense.
There is not enough electricity for everyone
The power grids available in the world today are not designed for us all to switch to EVs. This is not possible in Europe.
And certainly not in the USA. Grid overloads and breakdowns are causing more problems every year. In some cities, residents are already asked not to charge their vehicles at certain times.
The expansion of the electricity grids is unable to cope with current consumption. More and more human beings need more and more electricity. And should this come from fluctuating and unreliable sources such as wind and solar?
That's a good one, really.
But, we'll discuss the poor sustainability of wind and solar parks some other time.
And nobody knows where all the money for all this modernization is going to come from. How convenient...
The problem with traffic
There are many of us on this planet. We love our individual mobility. I do too, by the way. It is an expression of what I value above all: freedom.
But do we have to pollute and destroy our environment to feel free?
Wouldn't a walk or a bike ride work more often?
Does it always have to be the car?
Anyone who starts to think about our environment will be disappointed. Most of the highly praised “solutions” to our problems are nothing but hot air.
Packed in clever marketing to mislead consumers. And so it is with electric cars.
One cannot help but suspect that there is a system behind it all. Selling sustainability and leading human beings into new dependencies. To tighten the screw later, when there is enough convenience.
Well, I got worked up while writing this article.
The blatant audacity of selling me electric cars as “sustainable” insults my intelligence. Sustainability is more than just outsourcing pollution and misery to other areas of the planet.
It's a case of out of sight, out of mind!
The bulldozer exhaust, the transport of raw materials, the energy supply, and the marketing deception make one thing clear:
Electric vehicles are the biggest lie of our time.
And they have absolutely nothing to do with sustainability.
Fortunately, more and more people are seeing this. The declining sales figures and the piles of produced vehicles that nobody wants to buy show it clearly.
Right now, the Volkswagen Group is facing the decision to close three plants and lay off 10,000 people. Why?
Because they produce cars that no one wants.
Electric cars.
So, next time you want to prove to me your eco-friendliness with a Tesla, as noted at the start of this article, good luck.
Your arguments are shaky. To say the least.
I am not against new technologies at all – quite the opposite.
But don't sell me your ideas with sustainability arguments.
Because they are simply a lie.
Sustainability, my ass!
I’m going for a walk now.
Recommend strongly!
But between us - thanks for reading.
Yours,
Daniel
Another thing about electric cars that isn’t discussed- they light on fire and can’t be put out.
While driving on a Canadian highway called the Coquihalla, between Kamloops and Merritt, I personally witnessed 5 Tesla fires in a one year span. These vehicles burned up so hot that the pavement melted and had to be repaired. I believe it was the batteries that lit on fire, but I’m not sure.
And if you have to replace a battery? Be prepared to drop tens of thousands of dollars in that old, worn-out clunker.
Sustainability is a core philosophy in my business. I suffered major burnout in my business just after the pandemic, I had to put my business on hold. I am now rebuilding my business in a way that is simple, straightforward and is a sustainable strategy.