I get so tired of deniers pulling out that one study and then declaring that everything about EV cars is BS. The only BS is using that study as an argument.
First, it applied only to hybrids, not EV's. Second, it only showed a net increase when 100% of the power was derived from coal plants. Third, it assumed that all the electricity consumed corresponded to additional power generation. Fourth, it assumed no improvements in coal emissions over time. Fifth, even ignoring all of that, it only applies to ⅓ of EV's, assuming uniform distribution, and only today.
In real life, the situation is vastly different. First, the study doesn't even apply to EV's. Second, charging happens mostly at night, when utility companies with coal plants are generating excess power (i.e., coal plants take hours to adjust and no one shovels a load of coal onto the fire every time you plug in your car). Third, electricity is bought and sold, and rarely is local power 100% coal, so it's very rare that anyone charging from 100% coal energy anyway (For example, our electricity comes primarily from two plants - one coal and one NG - but we also get electricity from a nuclear plant and a hydro plant that are hundreds of miles away. We also have two 5MW solar farms within 50 miles and two 20MW farms further away.) Fourth, most coal plants are planned to be phased out over the next decade anyway (Our coal plant is being replaced next year.)
And even if you want to ignore all of that - and we know that you do - it doesn't matter because ⅔ of all EV's would still have net lower emissions, which obviously outweigh the ⅓ that wouldn't.
And so the real question is why people get their panties in a wad about this in the first place. I mean, how scared of change does someone have to be to get worked up over what kind of car I choose to buy? What harm does Tesla's existence cause you? What exactly is it that you guys are against?
