The Carbon Footprint of Electric Vehicles in the United States
- 1 Washington, DC, USA
Abstract
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) do not themselves emit greenhouse gases but they may, like other electricity-powered devices, result in the emission of carbon dioxide due to the burning of fossil fuels to generate the electricity they use. Determining the amount of carbon dioxide that results from charging an electric vehicle requires consideration of the power sources for electricity generation whose use is increased because the vehicle is being charged. Calculations based on these marginal power sources show that in the western United States carbon dioxide emissions caused by operating most, but not all, of the ten popular BEVs examined are lower than those caused by any hybrid vehicle (HEV). However, the amount of carbon dioxide attributable to driving a BEV in the East is similar to or higher than the amount emitted when driving a high-efficiency hybrid vehicle (HEV).
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