Energy Source Matters

An EV in Norway (almost 100% hydropower electricity) is extremely green – nearly zero emissions in use, and even manufacturing might be done in countries with greener grids (if, say, the battery was made using hydropower). An EV in Poland (which has a coal-heavy grid) is less green, though still usually a bit better than a gas car[137].

In the US, it varies by state. In California (lots of solar, natural gas, some hydro/wind), EVs achieve major GHG reductions vs gas. In a coal-heavy state, the margin is smaller but still typically in EV’s favor, plus local air quality is improved.

One interesting figure: The ICCT study (2021) found that EVs in all scenarios and locations had lower lifetime emissions than gasoline – even if charged on the dirtiest grid[137]. The difference was just smaller. As grids decarbonize in line with climate goals, EVs will be far superior. The writing on the wall is that long term, EVs powered by renewable energy would make personal transport almost carbon neutral.

Plug-in hybrids and hybrids also help reduce emissions (a PHEV on short trips can be essentially an EV for those miles, but it still carries an engine for longer trips, adding weight and some fuel use). Straight hybrids improve fuel efficiency (thus lower per-mile emissions), but they still burn gas.