Sir, – Eamon Ryan paints an understandably attractive picture of the electric car as the cleaner alternative to its petrol or diesel counterpart (“What will you say when a child asks: ‘Why are we driving a vehicle that is killing our planet?’,” Opinion, August 25th).
But there is an assumption underlying his argument which deserves questioning. He tells motorists that their “next car purchase” should be fully electric. Why should we accept as normal that a perfectly serviceable car must periodically be replaced at all?
We live in an age in which reduce, reuse, recycle is supposed to be a guiding environmental principle. Cars should surely be no exception.
Manufacturing an EV, particularly its battery, entails substantial greenhouse gas emissions before the car has travelled a kilometre. A new medium-sized EV may begin life carrying a manufacturing carbon burden of about 9-10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
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If the choice is between a new petrol car and a new electric one, the case for an EV is compelling. But if the alternative is continuing to use a sound petrol car, whose manufacturing emissions have already occurred, the calculation is very different.
On reasonable assumptions, a new EV might have to travel 70,000km to 100,000km before its initial manufacturing emissions are offset by cleaner running. At 15,000km a year, that could take roughly five to seven years, for a low-mileage motorist, considerably longer.
That matters in a climate emergency requiring emissions reductions now. Manufacturing a replacement EV creates a substantial pulse of emissions today in return for savings that may take years to repay. When replacement is genuinely necessary, an EV will generally be the environmentally preferable choice, but we should not turn electrification into another cycle of unnecessary consumption.
Perhaps the question that the child in the back seat should be asking is: “Why do we need a new car?” – Yours, etc,
PAUL O’SHEA,
Planet Before Profit CLG,
Shankill,
Dublin 18.
Sir, – The eye-catching headline on Eamon Ryan’s opinion piece certainly caught my eye (“What will you say when a child asks: ‘Why are we driving a vehicle that is killing our planet?’,” August 25th).
However, I would suggest that a more urgent question for these smart kids Eamon is referring to might be: “Mammy? Daddy? Why are you driving with a mobile phone in your hand when it’s against the law and could injure or kill us in a serious accident?” – Yours, etc,
TOM GERAGHTY,
Oranmore,
Co Galway.
Sir, – Eamon Ryan asks us to consider what our children will think of us if we choose to purchase a petrol car over an electric.
I would be interested to know if anyone has asked him what he was thinking, as transport minister, when he pushed to legalise e-scooters. – Yours, etc,
ANDREW YOUNG,
Shankill,
Dublin.
