2022 F150 Lightning Pro SR
Wow.
First off, according to Google, the average car actually emits about twice the claimed amount around 4.6 metric tons per year, assuming 22 mpg. For very fuel-efficient vehicles, it could be as low as 2.5 metric tons.
The “5000 to 16000” metric tons figure is incorrect Google indicates 2400 kg to 16,000 kg, which is where the mistake seems to be. 16,000 kg equals 16 metric tons, so they’re off by a factor of 1,000. Additionally, they mistakenly assume this figure is for a single cell in the battery pack, when it actually represents the entire Tesla Model 3 pack. This means they’re off by a factor of 7,000 as well. In just a few sentences, the error amounts to a factor of 7,000,000.
Remember that 11.5k multiplied by 7k is actually “over 8 million.” I really enjoy it when people make math errors in their rants and reveal their own ignorance.
Let’s point out that the “engineer” is making a flawed comparison by measuring the CO2 emissions from manufacturing an EV against the CO2 emissions from operating a gas-powered vehicle.
A proper engineering analysis would include:
- CO2 emissions from manufacturing and shipping (to the final destination)
- CO2 emissions over the vehicle’s lifetime (considering both electricity and gasoline)
- CO2 emissions from end-of-life disposal
This is known as life cycle analysis and is routinely conducted by actual engineers. The person who can’t distinguish between a kilogram and a metric ton clearly lacks competence (but that was evident). Here’s an example of genuine engineering evaluations:
As an engineer, I really dislike when other engineers say, “I’m an engineer,” as if they have all the answers. It’s incredibly frustrating. The field is often filled with arrogant individuals who think they’re geniuses and superior to everyone who isn’t an engineer. In reality, this attitude just makes them seem like they know less than they think they do. Also, here in the PNW, we primarily use hydropower, so there’s no coal involved when I charge my vehicle. He can take that “billion-ton coal” claim and reconsider it. Despite everything, his nonsense was quite entertaining, especially from an engineer’s perspective. 
Thanks for reading my rant.
It’s quite astonishing to think that each EV is supposedly generating billions of pounds of pollution. No wonder they’re so expensive to produce. He’s an engineer, so he should be good with numbers. There’s no way he could be off by… checks notes… thousands of percent, right?
What’s really unsettling isn’t just that he thought this figure could be reasonable, but that many people will believe it because they resist change.
Haha, love the science behind that. Apparently, one single EV is equivalent to 1,000,000,000 gas-powered tanks.
It’s remarkable to think that each EV is supposedly generating billions of pounds of pollution. No wonder they’re so expensive to produce. Since he is an engineer, he should be skilled with numbers. There is no way he could be off by… checks notes… thousands of percent, right?
What’s really concerning isn’t just that he believed this could be plausible, but that many people will accept it because they resist change.