EVs less polluting than gasoline even when electricity produced from 'dirty' coal says US study
Mon 16 April 2012
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Electric vehicles save money on fuel and are less polluting than most gasoline-powered vehicles, even in places where electricity is made by burning coal, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The report, State of Charge: Electric Vehicles’ Global Warming Emissions and Fuel-Cost Savings Across the United States, evaluates regional electricity grids across the US based on the global warming emissions produced from electricity generation, and then compares the emissions generated by charging an EV with those produced by gasoline-powered vehicles.
The study found that across the US, EVs charged from the electricity grid produce lower global warming emissions than the average compact gasoline-powered vehicle even when the electricity is produced primarily from 'dirty' coal.
The study states that In the American regions with the 'cleanest' electricity grids, EVs produce lower global warming emissions than even the most fuel-efficient hybrids. UCS researchers also found plug-in vehicles charged entirely from renewable sources such as wind or solar power produce virtually no global warming emissions. The study says that, ultimately, how 'clean' the US electric vehicle fleet is will be dependent on how 'clean' and sustainable is the power grid. It says that a continued shift from coal-fired power plants to natural gas and cleaner renewables must occur concurrently with vehicles' transition from burning oil to running on electricity.
"Drivers should feel confident that owning an electric vehicle is a good choice for reducing global warming pollution, cutting fuel costs, and slashing oil consumption," said Don Anair, a senior engineer on UCS's clean vehicles programme and co-author of the study.
According to the report, owners of electric vehicles can save US$750 to US$1,200 a year based on 11,000 miles of driving, compared to drivers of a gasoline-powered vehicle that gets 27 miles per gallon at US$3.50 per gallon.
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