electric vehicles climate impact

 

Electric vehicles have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline-powered cars, no matter where your electricity comes from.                                       The electricity that charges and fuels battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles comes from power grids, which rely on a range of sources — from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy.                                           Energy grids can vary from one state to another, which means that the carbon footprint of driving an electric vehicle ranges depending on the source of its electricity.                                                                                  Earth justice attorneys are working across the country to bring 100% clean energy, but on our way there (consumption of renewable energy recently surpassed coal), a portion of the electricity in this country will continue to be generated by the burning of fossil fuels.

 Because electric vehicles are more efficient in converting energy to power cars and trucks, electricity across the board is cleaner and cheaper as a fuel for vehicles, even when that electricity comes from the dirtiest grid.

Running electric or hybrid cars on the grid in any state has lower greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline-powered cars, as revealed in a study by experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists. And as states clean up their energy grids, the benefits of electric vehicles become stronger.

 

Through their entire lifetime, electric cars are better for the climate.

Electric vehicles can charge up at home, at work, while you’re at the store.

One advantage of electric vehicles is that many can be recharged wherever they make their home, whether that’s your home or a bus terminal. This makes electric vehicles a good solution for truck and bus fleets that return regularly to a central depot or yard.

As more electric vehicles hit the market and are used more broadly, new recharging solutions ; including adding more public charging locations in shopping centres, parking garages, and workplaces will be required for people and businesses without the same access at home.

 “The opportunity to drive an electric car shouldn’t be limited to people who own a home with a garage,” explains Gersen.

“Workplace charging is one key element of democratizing access to electric cars, and we need to move aggressively if we are going to meet this challenge.

 Electric vehicles now include cars, transit buses, trucks of all sizes, and even big-rig tractor trailers that are at least partially powered by electricity.

Electric vehicles fall into three main categories--

Battery electric vehicles[ BEV] are powered by electricity stored in a battery pack.

Plug-in hybrids combine a gasoline or diesel engine with an electric motor and large rechargeable battery.

Fuel cell vehicles split electrons from hydrogen molecules to produce electricity to run the motor.

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In the manufacturing process, electric vehicles will produce more global warming emissions than the average gasoline vehicle, because electric cars’ large lithium-ion batteries require a lot of materials and energy to build. (For example, manufacturing a mid-sized electric car with an 84-mile range, results in 15% more emissions.)

However, once the vehicles get on the road, it’s a whole different energy story.

Electric vehicles make up for their higher manufacturing emissions within, at most, 18 months of driving — and continue to outperform gasoline cars until the end of their lives

The average electric car on the road today has the same greenhouse-gas emissions as a car getting 88 miles per gallon — which is far greater than the average new gasoline-powered car (31 mpg) or truck (21 mpg), according to study  by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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