Battery Vehicles Reduce CO 2 Emissions

Abstract

R. F. Service's “Battery FAQs” (News Focus, 24 June, p. [1495][1]) attempts to answer the question “How will widespread adoption of electric vehicles affect CO2 emissions and possible climate change?” The answer Service provides—that CO2 emissions will not be affected unless renewable energy sources generate the electricity that powers the cars—is inaccurate. Even in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region, with a large percentage of electric power generated by coal, switching 10% of the fleet from gasoline vehicles to electric would cause the net CO2 emissions (including emissions from power generation) per switched vehicle to drop by about 5%; in less coal-heavy New York state, net CO2 emissions per switched vehicle would drop by about 12% ([ 1 ][2]). The decrease would occur because an electric motor is more efficient than an internal combustion engine ([ 2 ][3]) and because the electric vehicle recycles some of its energy by using regenerative braking. 1. [↵][4] 1. S. B. Peterson, 2. J. F. Whitacre, 3. J. Apt , Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 1792 (2011). [OpenUrl][5][PubMed][6] 2. [↵][7] 1. M. Ahman , Energy 26, 973 (2001). [OpenUrl][8][CrossRef][9] [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/332/6037/1495.full [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [5]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DEnvironmental%2BScience%2B%2526%2BTechnology%252C%2BES%2B%2526%2BT%26rft.stitle%253DEnvironmental%2BScience%2B%2526%2BTechnology%252C%2BES%2B%2526%2BT%26rft.aulast%253DPeterson%26rft.auinit1%253DS.%2BB.%26rft.volume%253D45%26rft.issue%253D5%26rft.spage%253D1792%26rft.epage%253D1797%26rft.atitle%253DNet%2Bair%2Bemissions%2Bfrom%2Belectric%2Bvehicles%253A%2Bthe%2Beffect%2Bof%2Bcarbon%2Bprice%2Band%2Bcharging%2Bstrategies.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F21309508%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [6]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=21309508&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F333%2F6044%2F823.1.atom [7]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [8]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DEnergy%26rft.volume%253D26%26rft.spage%253D973%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252FS0360-5442%252801%252900049-4%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [9]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1016/S0360-5442(01)00049-4&link_type=DOI