Electric vehicles are effective weapons in the war against global warming. According to an Environment America
report, plug-in cars are an effective way to lower CO2 and use less
oil. More than 40 studies demonstrate that plug-in vehicles produce
substantially less carbon dioxide than traditional gas powered vehicles.
America
can reduce emissions even further by increasing renewable energy
production. A study by the Electric Power Research Institute and the
Natural Resources Defense Council found that a plug-in hybrid with a 20
mile electric range running on clean electricity would emit less than
half the global warming emissions of a plug-in hybrid running on
electricity from coal-fired power plants.
Fueling
plug-in cars costs two to five cents per mile, or the equivalent of
$0.50 to $1.25 a gallon of gasoline. Over a ten year period, fuel
savings and federal incentives can reduce the lifetime cost of a plug-in
car by as much as $17,000.
Although plug-in hybrids
are currently more expensive than conventional vehicles, they will
become cheaper over time as battery technology improves and as they are
mass produced.
By making use of the energy grid at night when there is lower demand, the current US electric system could fuel 73 percent of US cars, pickup-up trucks, SUVs and vans without requiring any additional power production.
By making use of the energy grid at night when there is lower demand, the current US electric system could fuel 73 percent of US cars, pickup-up trucks, SUVs and vans without requiring any additional power production.
One million plug-in cars
charging simultaneously uses only a bit more than one tenth of one
percent of America’s current electric capacity.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, plug-in hybrids alone could double wind power in the US by 2050. If three quarters of vehicles in the US were powered by electricity, oil use would be reduced by more than half. Electric vehicles can drive the production of renewable energy and reduce oil dependence.
