With green mandates for auto manufacturers to meet in states like California and other efficiency standards being set for the industry to adhere to, the term "zero emissions" is often thrown around. Manufacturers from GM with its more affordable options to Detroit Electric with its higher price tags are striving to create all-electric vehicles.
But what does the ultra luxury Italian auto maker Maserati think of "zero emission" vehicles?
According to China Car Times, reporting on CEO Harald Wester's opinion at the recent Shanghai Auto Show, they are "nonsense."
CEO of Maserati Harald Wester poses for photographers near a new Maserati Quattroporte, in Nice, southern France, during the presentation to the media,Monday, Dec. 10, 2012.The new sixth-generation Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury four-door saloon made by Maserati in Italy and will be revealed at the Detroit motor show in January 2013, production started in November 2012. (Photo: AP/Lionel Cironneau)
“All this discussion about zero emissions is nonsense," Wester said. "Nobody talks about the efficiency of how the battery is charged. It varies strongly from region to region, depending on how the energy is produced, nuclear, coal and so on, but even the best is not ahead of the internal combustion engine.”
And he has a point. TheBlaze has reported on studies that have found in some regions electric vehicles actually have more global warming potential that their traditional gas counterparts.
Guests attend the unveiling of the new Maserati Quattroporte at Ferrari Maserati Silicon Valley on April 3, 2013 in Redwood City, California. (Photo: Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Ferrari Maserati)
China Car Times reported Wester saying regulators need to be more realistic before issuing mandates favoring electric options when measurement of their actual total emissions, including battery charging options, might not be as accurate as they could be.
(H/T: SlashGear)
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