Ask A Scientist© Environmental Science Archive

Author:     michael gallo
Text:       Will battery powered cars use more or less fossil fuels? If they 
ever start mass marketing an economical electric car, where the individual 
plugs it in to charge it up at home, using electric power that is still mostly 
generated by burning fossil fuels, will this really be an improvement? guess 
it depends on the relative efficiencies of gasoline vs. battery powered 
vehicles. What do you think?

Response #: 1 of 1
Author:     Mark Fernau
Text:       Your intuition is correct. An electric car that is charged from a 
coal plant is not doing much for the greenhouse, acid rain, ozone pollution, 
etc. Natural gas is better and nuclear and wind are best. ANL scientists have 
looked at the economics of this and have reports.