Electric vehicles in US pollute less while saving money

Electric vehicles in the United States save money on fuel and are less polluting than most gasoline-powered vehicles, even in places where electricity is made by burning coal, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said in a report released on Monday.

“Drivers should feel confident that owning an electric vehicle is a good choice for reducing global warming pollution, cutting fuel costs, and slashing oil consumption,” said Don Anair, a senior engineer on UCS’s clean vehicles program. UCS said the study is the first to analyze emissions from vehicles charged on a power grid of electricity made from fuels such as coal and natural gas.

According to the report, written by Anair, owners of electric vehicles can save US$750 to US$1,200 a year based on 11,000 miles of driving, compared to drivers of a gasoline-powered vehicle that gets 27 miles per gallon at US$3.50 per gallon. For every 50-cent rise in the price of a gallon of gasoline, an EV driver can save an extra US$200 annually, the report said.

http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_vehicles/electric-car-global-warming-emissions-report.pdf