Are Electric Cars Any Greener Than Conventional Ones?

"In an article published in Spectrum, the news arm of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, [Ozzie] Zehner notes that researchers have come to some widely divergent conclusions [about the environmental benefits of electric vehicles]," writes Angie Schmitt.

"Industry-funded research tends to paint a rosy picture of how electric cars, powered by clean fuels, will curb carbon emissions, Zehner writes. He cites electric vehicle research from Stanford University’s Global Climate & Energy Project, which has received $113 million from ExxonMobil, General Electric, Schlumberger, and Toyota."

"Once you take into account the full life cycle of the vehicles and environmental costs in addition to carbon emissions, electric cars look a lot less green," she adds. "Zehner refers to a life cycle analysis by the National Academies that considered the full environment costs of electric cars, including the manufacture and disposal of their batteries, which found no benefit compared to conventional cars."