Need some tech help here: Is an EV really cleaner than a gas car?

'Kid- Nice read. I agreed exactly with what you said about the coal burning part. Re: cost, many posts here but cost is going up next year. You did not discuss $7500 federal rebate.

Where I departed a bit was when you used the EPA MPGe calc to infer ~100 MPG efficiency. The EPA MPGe is intended to reflect gasoline useage, so of course, Leaf uses none. So EPA MPGe is very high. But this value is not reflecting the coal burned.

For Volt in winter at 2 mile/kWhr I have calculated about <15 MPG-ffe (fossil fuel equivalents) on a 100% coal fired basis. For Volt in summer, I have said it is ~35 MPG-ffe (fossil fuel burning equivalents) if your area is using 50% coal (USA avg). Leaf is a little better efficiency, but you are in 75% coal region.

There is a very good Wiki thread on the MPGe calc details if I can find it again. Many here do not like the EPA MPGe number because so many people use it to infer very little fossil fuel is burned, which is not what the EPA was trying to calculate.

 

I understand MPG(e) to be (somewhat) a central plant-wheels energy/distance number expressed in terms of petrol. I find it useless though, because the number is fudged by multipliers meant to further political goals of alternative energy equipped vehicles.

In the MPG(e) world, NG = ethanol = PV = coal. Ludicrous

 

Here in NY State we can pick our power supplier. I chose a Green Power Company. They produce electric from solar or wind. it cost a few cents more But we do have that option.

 

If we want clean air from power companies that we should just tax coal and other pollution schemes, while lowering the taxes elsewhere.