Electricity vs Gasoline
I have seen several news stories and posts about how electric vehicles actually produce more pollution than gasoline powered cars. The arguement is that because “most” of our electricity is produced by burning coal, the increased electric useage is putting more pollutants into the air.
So far I have not found anyone who has done an actual study. Maybe because it is so far from the truth that an actual study is not worth anyone’s time. Here are some real facts you can actually use.
Electric vehicles have fewer parts than their gasoline counterparts. Up to 20 percent fewer parts. That means less manufacturing waste and pollution overall in the production of electric vehicles.
There is electricity used in the refining of oil to make gasoline. Yes it is true. Gasoline does not come out of the ground ready to go into your car. Crude oil actually contains numerous hydrocarbons that must be separated to be useful. Things like lubricating oil, gasoline, and kerosene are separated out and further refined before being shipped worldwide and sold to consumers. Each step of the refining process produces certain amounts of waste and pollution. When you include the pollution generated by shipping, unreported oil spills, gasoline spills, and power used by the refining plant, electricity generation seems clean as a whistle. From the start of production to the final delivery to the consumer, electricity is by far cleaner than gasoline.
Only about half our country’s electricity comes from burining coal.
Much electricity is wasted in the evening, and at night, because most powerplants can’t be turned off when demand goes down. Electric cars charge mostly at night. There is currently enough wasted electricity to charge millions of electric cars, before more plants will need to be built. No new pollution will be created by using electricity that otherwise goes to waste.
How about when electric cars catch on, and new plants have to be built? Hopefully these will be clean plants. But even if they are coal plants, new designs for coal generated electrical plants are 85% efficient, far more efficient than your sub-25% efficient gasoline engine. Greater efficiency means more miles on less fuel, and therefore less pollution per mile.
But even if all the above were not true, electric cars would still produce much less pollution than gas cars, because of the greater efficiency of electric drive (electric motor, 95% efficient, versus gas engine, 25% efficient.) Delivering energy by wire to electric cars (95% efficient) is also much, much more efficient than trucking gas to thousands of service stations.
The proof of all this is right in the fuel prices. Gasoline costs about 10 to 16 cents per mile. Electric cars drive around for only about 1 to 2 cents per mile. The difference comes from efficiency. Much greater efficiency = much less pollution.
The prices above are based only on gas and electricity costs. There are also maintenance costs to consider. Electric cars use no oil or coolant. They have fewer moving parts. So it is not just the fuel savings, there is hundreds of dollars a year in savings for maintenance and repairs, which include the pollution associated with those services.
So why do you still have these articles about electric cars polluting? My best guess is the public is being manipulated to slow the interest in electric and alternative fueled vehicles. Many manufacturers are not going to have their electric vehicles ready for a few years and they don’t want to lose sales because the consumers have already made purchases. As far as the posts and replies go, it just proves that some people would rather believe what they are told rather than think for themselves. Something the marketing machine depends on to make money.
Make your own decision. It is not hard to research and find that electric cars are a better solution for the environment and for your wallet. If there is a model that fits your driving habits, don’t be afraid to be a trend setter.
