Even with electricity from coal, electric vehicles beat gas in CO2 emissions

[wtmusic]

"A common attack on electric vehicles is to claim that all Americans switching their cars from gasoline to electric would be counterproductive in the effort to reduce carbon emissions. The reason is that we'd simply need more polluting coal plants pumping out more carbon dioxide and get collapsed electric grids as a result. Well, we know there are emerging solutions to the grid problem but how about calculating the actual carbon numbers that result from gasoline vs. electricity from coal?

Dvice has gone and done just this, and found that, when it comes to CO2, electricity sourced from coal has a 60 percent lower impact than gasoline. Of course, this equation doesn't take in consideration other pollutants that result from burning either fuel."

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/07/24/study-even-with-electricity-from-coal-electric-vehilces-beat-g/

[Statistical]

1. I have had to dispell this myth often.

Not only that we don't use 100% coal and under cap and trade coal plants would be replaced by other plants due to the increased cost of coal.

Lastly we have geopolitical benefits. We have lots of coal and reduced gas demand would mean less need to spend trillions overseas in countries that have oil.

[diane in sf]

2. Every time there is a thread on electric cars the isssue of burning coal comes up--thanks

for this article that debunks the higher pollution myth.