Originally Posted by
circmand
The Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit, sought to clarify matters by doing a lifecycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions that includes energy inputs from start to finish, not only during drive time.
It finds that charging an all-electric car, such as the Nissan Leaf, in regions dominated by coal results in global warming emissions equivalent to a car with a mileage rating between 31 miles per gallon to 40 mpg.
The coal-dominated regions are in the Midwest, representing 18 percent of the U.S. population. In this case, a hybrid Prius, for example, which gets about 48 mpg, would be less polluting than an all-electric car.
Electric vehicles charged in areas with cleaner sources of electricity yields the equivalent of over 50 miles per gallon, better than the most fuel-efficient gasoline or diesel cars today. Those areas include most of the western states and most of the states on the eastern seaboard, which rely more on hydropower, natural gas, or nuclear. These regions as "best" for plug-ins cover about 45 percent of the U.S. population.
"This report's analysis shows that consumers should feel confident that driving an electric vehicle yields lower global warming emissions than the average new compact gasoline-powered vehicle," according to the report.
The authors note there are other benefits to driving plug-in electric vehicles, including lower costs per mile and reducing oil consumption.
Plug-in electric vehicles come with a higher price tag, but the Union of Concerned Scientists study estimates that over the life of the car a driver could save over 6,000 gallons of gasoline and $13,000 by driving an all-electric vehicle, compared to an average compact gasoline car. That assumes $3.50 per gallon gasoline, the U.S. average for electricity prices which is 11 cents per kilowatt-hour, and 15,000 miles a year for 15 years.
Now my addition if you have to drive the car for 15 years at 15000 miles a year that is 225000 miles. At $13,000 savings over 225,000 miles that is a savings of 5 cents a mile. Now ask yourself would you rather drive 225,000 in a comfortable hybrid with no worries about running out of juice or take the risk in an all electric vehicle with over estimated range and a 3 year limited warranty?
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