Are Electric Vehicles Truly Cleaner?

CLIMATE IMPACT

A report released by the Union of Concerned Scientists puts to rest a question that has been dogging the electric vehicle industry and causing consumers to doubt the environmental benefits of electrical vehicles (EVs): are the greenhouse gas emissions of an EV actually lower than a conventional car using gasoline fuel? This question stems from the concern that because electric vehicles are plugging in to our nation’s electrical grid to charge and, on average, 45% of the electricity on our nation’s grid comes from coal power plants; they are being fueled by “dirty power”. After thorough analysis using the most recent data, the UCS report definitively answers that important question: “There are no areas of the country where electric vehicles have higher global warming emissions than the average new gasoline vehicle.”

Two realities contribute to this exciting finding. First, due to stronger regulations and higher anticipated standards on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, utilities are cleaning up their acts. Power producers are increasing emissions controls on their plants and gradually moving away from coal and toward cleaner sources of energy, such as natural gas and renewable resources. Secondly, the average new gasoline vehicle has relatively low fuel efficiency (compared to hybrids and very efficient models that can get up to 50 MPG), achieving 27 miles per gallon.

REGIONAL VARIATION

The greenhouse gas emissions of an EV, however, can be considerably lower in one part of the country than another, depending upon the mix of energy generation used in different regions. The UCS report finds that, here in the Northwest, our grid mix has a low carbon intensity because of our region’s reliance upon hydropower and increasing use of wind and other renewable energy sources. As a result, an EV charged on the Northwest’s power grid will have a very low carbon footprint—to match the lower emissions of an EV in Portland, for instance, a conventional gasoline vehicle would have to achieve a fuel efficiency rating of 73 miles per gallon! In comparison to the 26 regions analyzed in the report, the Northwest comes in as 5th in the nation in terms of low carbon intensity for electricity.

In areas of the country where coal comprises a slightly higher portion of energy generation, such as most of Texas and the Appalachian region, an EV would still emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the average new gasoline vehicles, which get 27 MPG. In this scenario, an EV’s emissions would resemble those of the best gasoline hybrid vehicles available, which achieve 41-50 MPG.

If an EV is being charged in the Midwest or just east of the Rocky Mountains, where a large portion of energy on the grid is generated from coal, its emissions profile would still be better than that of the new average gasoline model. For example, in Michigan, 70% of electricity comes from coal power. Even on that “dirty” power, an electric vehicle would have greenhouse emissions equivalent to those of a gasoline-fueled vehicle with a fuel economy rating of 38 MPG—higher than the average of a new car (27 MPG) and the average of the entire nation’s midsize fleet currently in use (25 MPG).

UCS concludes that nearly half of Americans (45%) live in regions where an EV would have fewer emissions than the highest performing gasoline hybrids on the market that can achieve 50 MPG. As highlighted previously, the Northwest is one of these regions due to the large percentage of low-carbon energy resources.

COST

In addition to examining the greenhouse gas emissions of EVs in different regions of the United States, UCS also explores the typical savings a consumer could achieve with a gasoline-free vehicle. EVs are currently more expensive to purchase than conventional gasoline vehicles and, although prices are expected to drop as battery technology improves and production scales up, this initial cost is a large barrier to consumer adoption. The report addresses that barrier by taking the long view: how much would an EV owner save in fuel costs in comparison to a gasoline vehicle owner, over the vehicle’s lifetime?

The results are startling: the owner of a typical midsize EV could save nearly $13,000 in fuel costs over the lifetime of the car, spending approximately $5,200 to charge it. Over that same timeframe, the owner of a compact vehicle that achieves 27 MPG—the average fuel economy in the US— will need to spend over $18,000 to purchase over 6,000 gallons of gas. These calculations assume the lifetime of the vehicle is 15 years and that the annual mileage traveled starts at 15,000 and declines 4.5% a year.

POLICY/ADVOCACY NOTE

From an environmental and economic perspective, electric vehicles are the best alternative to replace the greenhouse gas-emitting and gasoline-guzzling vehicles that are responsible for 20% of Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions and send over $6 billion annually overseas to oil-producing countries. Yet, the UCS report emphasizes the exact same messages CUB does: to fully maximize the potential of electric vehicles, policies must lower barriers to EV ownership and create incentives and infrastructure that connect renewable energy to EV charging. By taking these steps in Oregon we can ensure our state remains a leader in clean technology and renewable energy and on track towards a sustainable energy future.

To learn more information about our EV program, click here

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