Electric Cars Aren't As Green As You Think | Adam Ruins Everything
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters cite it as the best-known version of the claim that buying an EV isn't greener, usually so they can rebut it with lifecycle-emissions data and economic arguments.
Recommended by 0 people across 0 different months, 2017 to 2026.
What it is
A five-minute Adam Ruins Everything segment from truTV, posted by Dropout (formerly CollegeHumor), in which Adam Conover argues that electric cars are less green than people assume. He points to the fossil-fuel grid that charges them and to the emissions from manufacturing a new car, and says individual purchases can't solve global warming.
What people said
Critical songzme · 2017-07 · Hacker News · on “First look at the Model 3”
This might not be related, but my main doubts about buying a model 3 is Adam ruins everything (electric car episode): [this video] He mentions that you can't shop your way out of global warming and that the environmental cost of building a new car creates a much larger carbon footprint than driving a used car. But upon more research, this is not exactly true: [LINK] "The study reveals that fully 75 percent of a car's lifetime carbon emissions stem from the fuel it burns, not its production. A further 19 percent of that is production and transportation of the fuel, leaving just six percent for the car's manufacture." Hopefully this helps resolve those who have this particular doubt about getting a
Critical airhangerf15 · 2024-05 · Hacker News · on “Renewable energy passes 30% of world’s electricity supply”
> BYD Seagull EV Honor Edition starts at $9,700 That's not the cost of the car. You here all these stories of "X" bought a Mazda 3 years ago for $42k and now it's out of warranty and the battery replacement is $28k? They're all shocked, but what they don't realize is THE CAR WAS NOT $42k. The US/Canadian/UK government likely subsidized $20k~$30k of the car: the battery. End the subsidizes and people will quickly see the REAL cost of these cars. > How? [this video] Electric Cars Aren't As Green As You Think | Adam Ruins Everything
Critical novia · 2026-09 · Hacker News · on “New Science Says Scrapping a Working Gas Car for an EV Is Usually Greener”
The argument that you shouldn't buy an EV because it's not greener (as seen on Adam Ruins Everything [1]) has always struck me as ridiculous. It's not like your old car just disappears into the ether. Someone else will buy it after you trade it in and use it. It's not like it just goes to waste. The argument is economically illiterate also. Buying an electric car is a strong signal that there's demand for them. New cars are going to keep being made no matter what. The difference is which kind of cars we will make, and if there's a strong demand signal then more electric cars will be made. [1] [this video]