Few electric vehicles are actually "zero emissions," but
calculating the exact carbon footprint of an EV can be daunting.
Not only do different utilities each use a different mix of
coal, nuclear, hydro, wind, and solar, many areas also offer
individuals the opportunity to buy "greener" power. These deals
don't actually guarantee the source of the electrons arriving at
your home, but they can help ensure that your utility expands or
purchases power from sources that are more environmentally
friendly. Thus, determining just how much pollution results from
a kilowatt of electricity in most markets includes a good deal
of wiggle room. The complexity of determining what really goes
out of the virtual tailpipe of an electric car has led some to
speculate that electric vehicles may actually be worse for the
environment than cars that use an internal combustion engine,
especially when half of the electricity in the United States is
generated by burning coal. It's not true, by and large, and
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