Canada is number 5 in the world?

[Lon12]

TOTAL CO2 SAVED BY TESLA VEHICLE OWNERS

I had no idea we were doing that well.

 

[wayner]

I wonder how they calculate this and if they take into account the source of the electricity generation in each location? An EV in Ontario or Quebec saves a lot more CO2 than an EV in Alberta since Alberta still uses lots of coal and other hydrocarbons to generate electricity. Do they account for that?

 

[wayner]

They also use a very weird city categorization. It shows Toronto, North York and Willowdale as separate cities. Willowdale is not much more than a neighbourhood in North York and North York is now a part of Toronto. They probably use your city of registration for your MyTesla account and that may come from the Canada Post database which can still use old place-names, like Willowdale, that may not have existed as legally incorporated towns or cities for decades.

 

[Lon12]

I wonder how they calculate this and if they take into account the source of the electricity generation in each location? An EV in Ontario or Quebec saves a lot more CO2 than an EV in Alberta since Alberta still uses lots of coal and other hydrocarbons to generate electricity. Do they account for that?

Calgary uses ZERO coal to generate electricity now. 14% renewables. Not sure about Edmonton.
It was 100% coal in 2001.

 

[wayner]

I am not an expert on electricity generation but I believe that generation is more regional, not city-by-city. While Calgary may not have any coal plants, there may be coal plants supplying the Alberta grid so any incremental electricity demand in Calgary likely means that coal or natural gas is being burned somewhere in the province to generate electricity.

The Energy Alberta website states:

About 41 percent of Alberta’s installed electricity generation capacity is from coal and almost 40 percent from natural gas. Alberta also uses water, wind, biomass and waste heat as forms of electricity generation.

So that means that over 80% of the electricity comes from hydro-carbons.

Contrast this to Ontario where from 9-10 this morning 57% was from nukes, 28% from hydro, 11% from wind and 4% from natural gas. Quebec has a very high percentage from hydro.

 

[Lon12]

I am not an expert on electricity generation but I believe that generation is more regional, not city-by-city. While Calgary may not have any coal plants, there may be coal plants supplying the Alberta grid so any incremental electricity demand in Calgary likely means that coal or natural gas is being burned somewhere in the province to generate electricity.

The Energy Alberta website states:
So that means that over 80% of the electricity comes from hydro-carbons.

Contrast this to Ontario where from 9-10 this morning 57% was from nukes, 28% from hydro, 11% from wind and 4% from natural gas. Quebec has a very high percentage from hydro.

Sad but true.

 

[eye.surgeon]

I'd love to see the methodology used in that list that puts China at #2 when the majority of electricity there is produced by unscrubbed coal fired power plants. Teslas there have a carbon footprint not much different than an ICE if you follow the charging cable to the source.

 

[lunitiks]

Who's no. 1 measured in CO2 Saved Per Capita?

 

[wayner]

Who's no. 1 measured in CO2 Saved Per Capita?

Umm, that would be Norway.

But some of the other numbers are surprising - like the fact that Hong Kong is number 3 in total CO2 saved? There aren't a ton of cars in HK and I don't imagine that people drive that far since there isn't far to go, unless you go into China.

 

[sitter_k]

They also use a very weird city categorization. It shows Toronto, North York and Willowdale as separate cities. Willowdale is not much more than a neighbourhood in North York and North York is now a part of Toronto. They probably use your city of registration for your MyTesla account and that may come from the Canada Post database which can still use old place-names, like Willowdale, that may not have existed as legally incorporated towns or cities for decades.

Snobs from North York/Toronto don't want to be associated with say Jane and Finch, also in North York. Calling your city Willowdale is a way to make that distinction.

 

[rpm001]

And my little town of Stouffville Ontario is the top in Canada per capita! Woo!!

 

[Jaff]

I'd love to see the methodology used in that list that puts China at #2 when the majority of electricity there is produced by unscrubbed coal fired power plants. Teslas there have a carbon footprint not much different than an ICE if you follow the charging cable to the source.

China is rapidly changing to renewables. Same with India.

 

[wayner]

Snobs from North York/Toronto don't want to be associated with say Jane and Finch, also in North York. Calling your city Willowdale is a way to make that distinction.

Possibly, but I doubt that is the case. I am guessing it is more of Tesla cross-referencing your address with Canada Post and it changing your city. I live in Scarborough and I generally enter Toronto for my address but sometimes it gets changed to Scarborough in this way. I don't really care but the legal municipality that I live in is Toronto.

 

[wayner]

China is rapidly changing to renewables. Same with India.

They are starting to add a lot of renewables but they are still building a ton of coal plants - for proof go here: Global Coal Plant Tracker | End Coal

 

[Doug_G]

Well now we can see why nothing is happening in Ottawa in stores, service, or Superchargers. Despite the size of the city we're way down the list. Market penetration here must be poor.

 

[wayner]

Well now we can see why nothing is happening in Ottawa in stores, service, or Superchargers. Despite the size of the city we're way down the list. Market penetration here must be poor.

But it is a bit of a chicken and egg situation I would think.

 

[SmartElectric]

They are starting to add a lot of renewables but they are still building a ton of coal plants

Let's give them a bit more credit than "starting to add".

China leads the world in GWh deployment of solar and wind. Full stop.
Solar power by country - Wikipedia


China is crushing the U.S. in renewable energy

China is betting big on renewable energy. It pledged in January to invest 2.5 trillion yuan ($367 billion) in renewable power generation -- solar, wind, hydro and nuclear -- by 2020.

 

[rrace2]

I am not an expert on electricity generation but I believe that generation is more regional, not city-by-city. While Calgary may not have any coal plants, there may be coal plants supplying the Alberta grid so any incremental electricity demand in Calgary likely means that coal or natural gas is being burned somewhere in the province to generate electricity.

The Energy Alberta website states:
So that means that over 80% of the electricity comes from hydro-carbons.

Contrast this to Ontario where from 9-10 this morning 57% was from nukes, 28% from hydro, 11% from wind and 4% from natural gas. Quebec has a very high percentage from hydro.

Feelling extremely fortunate in Quebec to have more than 99% of our electricity from Hydro we are also have the most EVs in Canada. Makes a lot of sense to have EVs here, cheaper electricity and non-pollutant:
Leading the energy revolution

 

[wayner]

So if you live in Alberta and you care about CO2 emissions then you shouldn't but a Tesla for yourself, you should buy one for someone in Quebec!

Quebec does have the most EVs by far but that is thanks to the Leaf and Volt. Ontario has about twice as many Teslas as Quebec:

 

[Doug_G]

What's the source of that data? It looks like it may be quite accurate - 53 is the correct count for Tesla Roadster IIRC.