Wow, ChatGPT was more clear and smarter than almost anybody I asked this simple question
I tried Chat GPT for the first time this morning and asked it a question which is both complex and simple at the same time. I am a subject matter expert in the economics and carbon footprint of electric vehicles and their relationship with the Power Grid. And despite the complexity of that topic, a key fundamental question about the cleanliness of our power grid is quite simple. It’s only complicated because people have a hard time filtering through the noise and hype to see the obvious, very simple, most important issues. For example there is a huge difference between a state or country who gets most of their power through coal (e.g. West Virginia) vs. Hydro & Wind (e.g. Vermont) vs. Nuclear & Hydro (e.g. France) vs. Natural Gas & other renewables (e.g. California)
I have asked the below question to probably over a 100 people, and maybe only one or two people even came close. Most people were totally unaware, about something so important yet so simple.
But Chat GPT nailed it! In about 3 seconds. At the high level, there are many other details to consider, but this is definitely the top-line story. I.e. it’s really important when discussing a complex topic, to FIRST ensure that folks have the same basic understanding of the top-line story, otherwise people usually get lost in the weeds and go around in circles.
TELL ME CHAT GPT: What is more green a hybrid or electric vehicle?
Both hybrid and electric vehicles have advantages in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing environmental impact compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.
Hybrid vehicles use a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. They can achieve significantly better fuel economy and produce fewer emissions than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, but they still rely on gasoline as their primary fuel source.
On the other hand, electric vehicles (EVs) are powered entirely by electricity and emit no tailpipe emissions. This makes them a cleaner alternative to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, especially if the electricity used to power them comes from renewable sources such as wind or solar power.
Overall, EVs have the potential to be more environmentally friendly than hybrid vehicles, especially if the electricity they use comes from renewable sources. However, the environmental impact of both types of vehicles also depends on factors such as the energy used in their manufacturing and the source of their power.
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The only thing I would change in this description is to emphasize “especially if the electricity used to power them comes from renewable sources such as wind or solar power.” and point out that most sources are NOT renewable (spew tons of carbon into the atmosphere — not directly out of the tailpipe, but out of the power plant).
On another point, it’s actually more efficient to put fossil fuels directly into a car rather than use fossil fuels to generate electricity
