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Funny, I thought those electric car charging stations were powered by "I'm saving the planet" happy thoughts.

some electricity is clean and/or green

most is not

A puffy pink seaweed that can stop cows from burping out methane is being primed for mass farming by Australian researchers.

The particular seaweed species, called Asparagopsis, grows prolifically off the Queensland Coast, and was the only seaweed found to have the effect in a study five years ago led by CSIRO. Even a small amount of the seaweed in a cow’s diet was shown to reduce the animal’s gases by 99%.

Associate Professor Nick Paul, who is the leader of the Seaweed Research Group at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), said that if Australia could grow enough of the seaweed for every cow in the nation, the country could cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 10%.


https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/gamechanging-pink-seaweed-reduces-cow-emissions/

I believe there's a new bovine vaccine (perhaps not commercially available yet but well along the pipeline) against the gut bacterial species responsible for cows churning cellulose into methane. It works! I watched a video recently. I had been concerned that this might affect cellulose digestion. That the cows might appear malnourished/smaller, etc. But the same-age adult cows seemed equal side-by-side to the unvaccinated guys (to my amateur eye).

My remaining question (still unanswered) is whether these vaccinated cows have less efficient digestive systems and might require more grazing space, which would be quite counterproductive.

Scientists have developed a large-scale economical method to extract hydrogen (H2) from oil sands (natural bitumen) and oil fields. This can be used to power hydrogen-powered vehicles, which are already marketed in some countries, as well as to generate electricity; hydrogen is regarded as an efficient transport fuel, similar to petrol and diesel, but with no pollution problems. The process can extract hydrogen from existing oil sands reservoirs, with huge existing supplies found in Canada and Venezuela. Interestingly, this process can be applied to mainstream oil fields, causing them to produce hydrogen instead of oil.

https://phys.org/news/2019-08-scientists-hydrogen-gas-oil-bitumen.html

What do you make about the explosion concerns? There have been a few recent high-profile explosions at Hydrogen fueling stations.

It seems to me that H2 is a great fuel. Easier and quicker to refuel than it is to charge, and doesn't require installing charging stations in the home (so better works for renters). So there's no range anxiety. And if we can get H2 in high quantities without HUGE environmental burden, it might be much more environmentally friendly than large-scale mining for battery metals.

But people tend to not like exploding ;-) 

H2 is literally extracted from oil. It's beholden to carbon. Relative to EVs, it's an inferior technology for our vehicles' futures on many grounds:

• beholden to carbon
• makes cars into "safer" mini-Hindenburgs
• still requires refueling at stations ad infinitum; I suspect that will eventually feel archaic compared to refueling at home while asleep

Whether it's electricity, or H2, or propane, or gasoline, or banana peels in a Mr. Fusion reactor, my autonomous car will be able to drive itself wherever it needs, to refuel, either whilst I work, or sleep, or attend a college football game.