Report: Electric cars would dramatically lower emissions

But most rely on coal power

Steve Hawley, Jan 22, 10.

A new report from Environment Texas says that increasing the number of electric and hybrid vehicles in the US would significantly lower emissions, according to KUHF. Environment Texas is touring the state with electric vehicles to bring attention to the issue, including partnering with the City of Houston to unveil a new electric vehicle charging station at Houston City Hall, according to ABC Channel 13 News.

The report’s executive summary states:

More than 40 recent studies show that plug-in cars produce lower carbon dioxide than traditional gasoline-powered cars. One study by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) found that an electric car fueled by unused capacity in the current electric system would emit 27 percent less global warming pollution than a car fueled by gasoline, and would reduce global warming pollution in almost every area of the country, even where the primary source of electricity is coal.

To take full advantage of the potential of plug-in vehicles, however, America must move toward a cleaner electricity grid. A study by the University of California, Berkeley Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology showed that if half of the light vehicles in the United States were electric vehicles powered by completely clean electricity in 2030, total fleet emissions would be reduced by 62 percent.

However, other groups dispute the benefits of electric vehicles that rely on coal power. A recent report from the National Research Council found that electric cars cause at least as much environmental damage as gasoline vehicles, noting:

Operating these vehicles produces few or no emissions, but producing the electricity to power them currently relies heavily on fossil fuels; also, energy used in creating the battery and electric motor adds up to 20 percent to the manufacturing part of life-cycle damages.

“In other words,” Streetsblog San Francisco says, “hybrids and electric vehicles are still likely to consume serious amounts of coal—at least until the nation adopts an effective renewable electricity standard.”

KUHF notes that the City of Houston signed a deal with Reliant Energy last year to convert ten of the city’s 700 hybrid cars to plug-in hybrids, which travel farther than typical hybrids. Under the deal, ten rapid-charging stations would also be installed throughout the city. Mayor Annise Parker says that she intends to honor the deal.

The article reports, “[D]espite all the recent interest in electric cars, automakers have yet to solve the three main drawbacks — limited range, long recharging times, and lease prices that, in some cases, rival those of a high-end luxury car.”

Environment Texas executive summary: Plug-In Cars: Powering America Toward a Cleaner Future
National Research Council executive summary: Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use (pdf, 594 kb)