In the News
Are NEVs Really Cleaner?
August 3, 2007

 
LINCOLN, California -- People often tout the environmental friendliness of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) as a top reason to buy. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to forget that much of our energy comes from "dirty" sources, such as coal and gas. Aren't NEVs--and electric cars in general--simply shifting the pollution from one community to another? In short, no.


Photo by Roland Peschetz. Some rights reserved. In the United States, our electricity comes from a variety of sources. Clean sources, such as solar and wind, have no adverse environmental impact. On the other hand, coal and gas power plants release pollution and greenhouse gases. When a NEV is  plugged in, it's getting electricity from the cocktail of sources that power the grid. While an electric vehicle emits no pollutants or greenhouse gases when driven, the electricity used for charging is typically generated in power plants that pollute.

On the other hand, much of the pollution from gas-powered cars is generated while driving. A car's internal combustion engine emits pollutants at different rates. When the engine first starts, the catalytic converter is not working at its optimum efficiency. Harmful emissions are produced at a higher rate after a cold start--and are reduced after the engine reaches its normal operating temperature. That means short trips around town will produce a greater percentage of emissions per mile than longer trips. Additionally, the refinement, transportation and distribution of gasoline produces pollution before the gas is even burned in a car's engine.