Verdict: False
This is one of the fossil fuel industry's favorite talking points, and it falls apart under any scrutiny.
This is one of the fossil fuel industry's favorite talking points, and it falls apart under any scrutiny. Even on the dirtiest electrical grids in the country, an EV produces fewer lifetime emissions than a comparable gas car. On a fossil-fuel-heavy grid, an EV still performs equivalent to a gas car getting 82 mpg -- far better than any gas vehicle on the road (the most efficient is the Toyota Prius at 57 mpg). And here's the key point: only 10% of EVs sold in the US are in states where 50%+ of electricity comes from coal, while over half are sold in states with significant renewable energy. As the grid gets cleaner every year -- and it is, rapidly -- every EV on the road automatically gets cleaner too. A gas car will pollute the exact same amount the day you junk it as the day you bought it.
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