In response to the AJC's report this week on sales of plug-in electric vehicles in Atlanta, Georgia Tech energy expert Sam Shelton wrote to offer a counterpoint on the value of plug-in cars. Shelton is a senior fellow at Tech's Strategic Energy Institute. He writes:
Good article on electric car sales in Atlanta leading the country.
One fact that should be pointed out is that the "zero emissions" only applies to the vehicle's tail pipe. The all-electric car, however, must get electric power to recharge the batteries to power the vehicle. This electric power is generated back at our electric power plants, which do emit carbon into the air.
When this is accounted for, the Leaf creates additional carbon dioxide at the power plant equivalent to a gasoline-powered car with a fuel efficiency of about 45 miles per gallon. [The Nissan Leaf is the most popular plug-in electric car on the market.]
There are gasoline-powered vehicles similar in size to the Leaf that use no electric power from the grid, like the Toyota Prius, and get higher fuel mileage than 45 mpg. As a result, the Leaf will cause as much CO2 emissions back at the power plant as the tailpipe CO2 emissions from the Prius.
The "zero emissions" moniker on the Leaf is highly misleading at best.
