Ben@Forest wrote:The cleanliness of all elecric vehicles depends upon their energy source (though of course point pollution is easier to treat than diffuse pollution). But France has an entirely electrified railway and very low carbon emissions in terms of energy production through 58 nuclear power stations.
So you takes your choice - for better or worse it's what France does. It's difficult to know how sensible or not it is; I did see reports that the recent heatwave would cause some reactors to be shut down due to low river levels, which does make you wonder about their efficacy in the future.
I agree and it is something of a conundrum.
Do we continue with a nuclear base load capacity or not?
Though it is a decision that will have to be taken with regard to road transport rather than rail IMV.
We already have enough capacity to run an electric railway network I think.
Regarding France, the country's dependence on nuclear is well documented, but it is not their only source.
Much hydro, solar, biomass and, most noticeably for French travellers, wind (7gigawatts max) have been installed as low carbon sources in the last couple of decades. And they continue to build more.
http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/france/