Although many people believe that buying a fully-electric car   is superior to a gasoline-based vehicle, electric cars aren't actually that much better for the environment. Even though electric cars do not emit harmful pollution themselves, the methods in obtaining electricity for them do. Since electric power plants primarily burn coal to produce electricity, roughly the same amount of greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere. “If you use coal-fired power plants to produce the electricity, then all-electrics don’t even look that much better than a traditional vehicle in terms of greenhouse gases,” says Virginia McConnell, an economist at the environmental research firm Resources for the Future.
https://www.wired.com/2016/03/teslas-el … een-think/

I think that electric cars are better for a couple of reasons. One is that there are solar powered electric generators to make the electricity. Another is that there are renewables like solar and wind power to generate electricity. We still use coal, however we are using less each year.

Although the methods for producing the electricity that power the cars emit pollution, in terms of sustainability, that is nothing compared to an everyday running fuel powered care releasing pollution into the air for years. Although we have not created the perfect electric car that does no harm to the environment, they are still better than the alternative gasoline-based vehicle that the majority of the population drives.

I think that although the methods for electric production will add to pollution the pay off by eliminating the gasses produced by nonelectric cars may be a step in the right direction in the U.S. alone there is 1.3 people per car and there are around 321 million people in the U.S. alone. This is substantial pollution being emitted and if more people switched to electric cars there may be a payoff in the process of ending air pollution.

Yes, electric cars are better because they use no gas so they won't pollute the air. The Tessa brand are producing cars that are more powerful than gas cars and use electric power.

While electric and hybrid cars a helpful in reducing carbon emission alternative fuel sources like hydrogen and solar are much better because Thierry emissions are less harmful.

I've thought about this in the past, because both methods of transportation have their upsides and downsides. However, there has to be a method that is the most environmentally effective. I wonder if there is some way of finding which type of car is more versatile, or if there is a medium between the two that meets the goal best.

That is true, this is why we need to lean into this instead of just jumping in. We should be using hybrids because they produce far less emissions but don't get plugged into a wall. Also this is far better because you don't have to find an electric charging station using more electricity when there probably isn't one. The only thing is that don't buy a Prius because they are so ugly.

I believe that electric cars are not just as bad as gas burning cars, i actually believe electric cars are worse for the environment. People claim that electric cars are zero emissions, which is true about the car, but not its power. 65 percent of electricity comes from fossil fuels and 15 percent comes from renewable sources, according to U.S.Energy Information Association. Therefore only 15 percent of electric cars are good for the environment.
    The source of power isn’t the only problem. Certain components of electric cars are made out of rare metals. For example the  magnets in the electric motors of electric cars contain neodymium, a rare earth metal. These rare earth metals are mined using chemicals and the disposal of these chemicals are devastating. Only .2 percent makeup mined soil and rock, according to Lizzie Wade. The rest of this contaminated soil is disposed of in the ground and this is destroying chinese farming villages. Not only this, but the turbines and solar panels used for renewable energy sources come from these rare earth metals.

I completely agree that electric cars are no better for the environment than gas powered cars. I even had the same discussion with my family a few days ago. The only difference between the two is that one version releases pollutants while it's being used, and the other releases pollutants so that it can be used.

Hi all, good discussion!  I wanted to let you know that in about a week, we are launching a new version of the footprint calculator that you used, and that will have an option for selecting electric cars - so you can see how it compares!

Many of your points are totally valid...but here is the argument for electric cars:

The most viable solution to reduction in emissions is to:
1) make our electric grids sustainable
and then
2) electrify everything -- including cars, stoves, water heaters, etc

This is the basic proposal of the Solutions project at Stanford -http://www.thesolutionsproject.org

In some locations (like where I live in Seattle) -- our electricity is pretty clean (mostly from hydro - salmon is another discussion...), so having an electric car makes sense.

For those who live in coal burning locations, maybe it is still OK as a future investment in clean transportation?

What do you all think?

However, not all electric cars get their electricity from coal power plants. A lot of these cars get their energy from clean sources such as hydroelectric, solar, or wind power. Even those powered by less clean energy sources still don't put out as much carbon as regular gas fueled cars.

I think that sometime in the future, if we manage to make the switch to 100% clean energy, electric cars would be the better alternative. They have zero emissions, and with clean energy the ways we get electricity wouldn't have emissions either

Electricity is way easier to produce than it is to obtain gasoline. Here in Washington, a lot of electricity is produced by the dam, so there's almost no impact when using an electric car. If there's one issue with electric cars, it's that they do not last as long on a "full tank" as a normal gas-powered car would, which means that you would use a lot of electricity. However, I think that electric car engineers will probably figure out how to make more efficient batteries that last much longer on a charge.

Although electric cars aren't 100% percent clean, I think they're still a better option than gas cars. They release far less carbon while in use and they don't all burn coal for power, making it a more sustainable alternative.

I see your point there, but you have to take baby steps. If we get everyone in an electric car, then we can move to getting all electricity from clean sources. Also not all of the electricity is from non clean sources, a lot of electric cars get it from solar power, and like jack said. some places take energy from clean places.

Depending on the electric car. Theoretically, hybrids are better due to their functionality, but the carbon generated from the electricity and the gas are both similar. So its a close call, but if we had actual data on the amount of carbon generated from electricity, how much of it is wasted versus wasted gas and fuel, etc.

I think that if people can find ways to make cars even cleaner than with electricity, gas a fuel, we could cut down our carbon footprint by a huge amount!

electric cars will produce the same amount of CO2 because you still need energy to charge them. They are not clean and they can be more expensive.

i can see both sides but also carpooling with others is a good way to try and reduce your carbon footprint

Carpooling or taking the metro bus is just as effective.

I get what you are trying to say, but... The fact is, electric cars are the only type of practical "green" car available at the moment, if we can have all aspects of transportation use energy from a single source. Then we only need to focus on making one source of energy green, for example, if every car, bus, train and plane ran off of electricity... We would only have to solve one problem instead of many, and once we found a source of green electricity for everyone. We wouldn't have to worry about transportation anymore as an impact.

also public transportation is neat...

I understand what you are saying Aidan, but do you think the majority of electric car producers will burn coal for their electric power plants to get electricity? I agree with you in some way, because there are definitely companies that do that, but if they actually want to make a difference in the world they would spend more money on not using coal. That's why the companies that do really have an urge to make a difference have expensive cars. Also even after making/producing the electric car even if coal and other negative energy sources were used, the amount of carbon dioxide over time will have not been as much as a normal car. An example of a company that actually cares for climate change is Tesla. That's why their cars are so expensive besides just being fancy. Even the Model 3, which isn't super fancy but still is all electric and has good mileage still costs $35,000. One thing you can do with electric cars that is better than normal cars is the cheapness of charging. In a lot of charging stations it's completely free to charge. Also if you have solar panels on you r house, then you don't even need to worry about paying for all of the electricity your car uses.

So overall, I believe that even if  electric cars still could have a negative impact on people's carbon footprint, they are better than any other car right now. Also every year they are getting cheaper to buy.

Ben - I think Aiden's point about coal is this:

If you drive an electric car in someplace like Pennsylvania, where most of their electricity comes from coal-burning power plants, then when you plug in to charge your battery, you are basically running your car off of coal.

So his point is not about the source of energy in manufacturing, it's about the source of energy for the electricity that the owners of the cars use.

Hey Jason,

Thanks that cleared it up a bit. We need solar panel farms in every state.

Yes, electric cars are better. That's why you have to get a Tesla

In my opinion I think that the impact that electric cars make on the planet, good or bad, mainly relies on where you live. If you live in a place where coal is the main source of energy, then buying an electric car isn't the best plan. However if you live in a place where electricity mainly comes from renewable sources such as hydro, then buying an electric car is a pretty good idea

Where I live we get energy from a dam.  The water pushes pistons to create energy and it is converted from kinetic to eletric rather then using coal, so eletric cars wouldn't emit much CO2 if any where I live.  I guess it depends on where you live and what your electricity comes from.

Where I live we get energy from hydroelectric. It's 89.3 percent of the city's power.

#Volvogoesallelectric

I think that electric cars are better but that they don't eliminate all waste

Electric cars are better depending on where you live.

I believe that electric cars could be really helpful but depending on where you live I think the effectiveness could  change.

yeah, if you live in a remote place, having a Tesla wouldn't be idealistic. But in a thriving city, maybe more so.

I think that electric cars are better but most people cant really afford them so I think for right now we could just stick to eco- gas friendly cars.

This is true, but think about the batteries that power these electric cars. The methods needed to create the lithium cores, and the molecules needed to power it are just as bad if not worse for than combustion engines.

Electric cars are much more environmentally friendly than gas fueled cars long term. Electricity does not add CO2 into the air, last longer, requires less maintenance Gas driven cars are big contributors to the increased levels of CO2 in the air, which is making climate change and global warming worse. However, electric cars still have their cons. It requires manufacturing to create the batteries, which produces CO2, so it limits its environmental friendliness. In addition, the battery itself is hazardous after its use. Overall, electric cars are more efficient than gas cars. For more information, click on this link https://www.dw.com/en/how-eco-friendly- … a-19441437

I disagree with this statement because as climate change rises and people become more aware of what is going on the way cars are made are thought hard upon. This statement may have been true a few years ago but as time passes progression and new ideas are made. Electric cars are now being built with bigger batteries causing less pollution. Electric car batteries that can exceed over 250 miles range produce half the amount of green gases polluting the environment this is factoring in the amount of green gas produced from producing the battery. So overall cars are able to go farther and produce less green gases which help contribute to stopping global warming.

I think electric cars are a great form of saving the planet but, somepoeple cant afford these type of cars and when you think about It factores are spreading more Co2 un the planet by making these types of cars.I cant even imagine our future,WE have to save it

*in

Electric cars are a good way of saving the environment but, the manufacturing of these super cars are undeniable worse than creating the classic gas car. In these electric car factories; they are using more energy and resources into these cars and those factories are creating a great deal of carbon.

I agree with you to an extent and understand your reasoning in the sense that electric cars are not that much more environmentally sufficient and friendly as opposed to gas cars. However, they are without doubt the better option because they reduce harmful air pollution from exhaust emissions because the electric vehicle doesn't have exhaust emissions. Also, by recharging the electric vehicle with renewable energy, you are cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.

https://www.ergon.com.au/network/smarte … c-vehicles

I agree that despite driving electric cars being far better than gas cars, the factories that manufacture them do produce drastically worse air pollution. I don't think this makes electric cars entirely worse than traditional gas cars. Depending on how long you drive the car and if you buy the car used or new, electric cars can later pay off that initial high output of pollution. We are also gradually making energy cleaner and this would also cut down on the major pollution caused by factories.