No, the Tesla Model S Doesn't Pollute More Than an SUV

thecarchik writes "In an exhaustive 6,500-word article on the financial website Seeking Alpha, analyst Nathan Weiss lays out a case that the latest Tesla Model S actually has higher effective emissions than most large SUVs of both the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and smog-producing pollutants like sulfur dioxide. This is absolutely false. Virtually all electric car advocates agree that when toting up the environmental pros and cons of electric cars, it's only fair to include powerplant emissions. When this has been done previously, the numbers have still favored electric cars. The Union of Concerned Scientists, for example, concluded in a 2012 report (PDF), 'Electric vehicles charged on the power grid have lower global warming emissions than the average gasoline-based vehicle sold today.' Working through every one of Weiss' conclusions may show a higher emissions rate than Tesla's published numbers, but in no way does a Model S pollute the amounts even close to an SUV."

Re:Same as last time

[Synerg1y]

A Prius is so efficient that you can't even feel yourself pressing the gas pedal, unfortunately the speedometer doesn't either.

Assumptions of traditional energy advocates

[fermion]

1. RIding your bicycle pollutes more than driving an SUV
2. Pollution is good because it makes the tree grows and opens up the northwest passage
3. Nature pollution, so it can't be bad
4. Nuclear energy exists in nature, so it is good
5. If you hate pollution, you hate god

Same people claiming global warming is false.

[nitehawk214]

But if Global Warming does not exist, why do you care if an electric car pollutes more than a regular one?

Re:Same as last time

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not really that slow. I'm used to driving 300hp+ sports cars, but the Prius (the 2012 version, at least) still feels reasonably fast to me once PWR mode is enabled.

At which point all efficiency goes out the windo...err...tailpipe.

This is absolutely true. In my 2012 plugin Prius, if I drive to work in power mode at 75 mph I only get about 50 mpg, and my exhaust emissions jump up to almost 40% of a normal vehicle if I lead-foot it the whole time.

And frankly the car's just not very powerful; the tiny 4-cylinder and mid-sized electric motor can only do 0-60 mph in 10.9 seconds, and it takes 18.5 to turn a quarter mile. In fact the original Prius is actually only slightly more powerful than the original Chevrolet Corvette, which we all know was a totally pussy car no real manly man ever drove.

Also, it does not have wings, ponies, or an automatic martini mixer, which obviously means it's a total crap car. But sadly it's what I've had to settle for... because after twelve years of driving a 2002 Prius, I only saved enough money on gasoline costs to buy this lame thing. I really wanted a 6000 SUX, with reclining leather seats, but the city refused to pay for it.

Juxtaposition!

[Radtastic]

Mod Parent +1 for use of a computer analogy in a discussion about cars!

Re:Same as last time

[voidphoenix]

the newer model Prii

WTF?