Battery Electric Vehicles are really not absolutely zero emissions and research, do not ever take into effect the upstream energy that takes to charge those vehicles still leave at least 2000 pounds of carbon foot print.

Why is that being ignored here and please elborate?

Well, will you start taking the energy cost of extracting the oil and refining it and shipping it to your local gas station into account when you measure your MPG and Carbon footprint? I doubt it. But you should.

Combined with Micro-generation capacity at home there is zero emissions all the way down the line, or "well to wheel" as the categorization is named. ICE cars won't be that CO2 neutral even if you grow your own bio-diesel.

________________________________ -- Richard Goldsmith Director, Zodiac Image Technology Ltd. Guildford, Surrey. U.K. Skypename : richardmgoldsmith

There will be upstream pollution regardless of 50% natural resources and 50% solar, wind or geothermal, or even 100% alternative energy that is neutral or below.

We need to put back into the system that we take resources from that makes the world go around.

Regardless of what battery being used except for fuel cells they put off more NOx and SOx than my 2001 Toyota Prius or my friend's 2001 Honda Insight Manual.

Please describe the chemical reactions which result in Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide that are going on in lithium ion batteries. I don't think the energy exchange involves those byproducts, so I am quite curious where you think it will be coming from.

I question the validity of your statement that battery use creates more of these than burning any amount of petrol might, let alone what the Prius will create. If they were known to be producing these noxious gases in measurable amounts there would have to be an exhaust to avoid dangers to occupants, by channelling them away from the interior. I am not aware of any such design to date, not even in Lead-Acid accumulator batteries which at least have sulfuric acid to start with, but even they are not producing emissions of these gases. Hydrogen yes, Sulfur Dioxide - not when operating correctly and Nitrogen dioxide - how?

As for the upstream pollution, energy manufacture and use is by definition a dirty business, but just how much mitigation of the negative elements we can achieve while maintaining a useful usage availability is all we can strive for.

There have been plenty of detailed analyses of the environmental impact of the whole process from manufacture to use with the energy supply and the best option all round is the BEV, even with coal fired eclectricity generation. The more renewable sources are mixed in the greater the benefit. Don't believe me ? - take a look at this page for starters :-

http://www.owningelectriccar.com/national-grid-electric.html

That's enough bonus to make pedantic discussions about how close to zero the zero emissions are a bit pointless in my estimation.

If that is too much carbon footprint for you, I would respectfully suggest walking.

________________________________ -- Richard Goldsmith Director, Zodiac Image Technology Ltd. Guildford, Surrey. U.K. Skypename : richardmgoldsmith