Coal-Powered Cars

This is really quite exciting for me (yes, I know, I need to get a life).

Back on May 8, 2011, I talked about the term "coal-powered cars" when referencing electric vehicles (EV). I'm pretty sure it was "Don" who first used that term in a note that I subsequently used.

Don sent me a Yahoo news story from their "Green Center" site, and it appears that Yahoo now refers to EVs as coal-powered cars, also.

A study has found that cars with very high gas mileage are less polluting than electric vehicles charged up in coal-heavy regions.

The Union of Concerned Scientists released a report today called "State of Charge" that finds that on average plug-in cars are less polluting than gasoline-powered vehicles in the U.S. But the greenhouse gases emitted from electric vehicles depends on the sources of electricity.

The study centers on a heated discussion in auto circles. Automakers have sometimes referred to electric vehicles as "zero emissions," which is misleading because most plug-in drivers charge their cars from electricity generated by burning coal or natural gas.

The Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit, sought to clarify matters by doing a lifecycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions that includes energy inputs from start to finish, not only during drive time.

It finds that charging an all-electric car, such as the Nissan Leaf, in regions dominated by coal results in global warming emissions equivalent to a car with a mileage rating between 31 miles per gallon to 40 mpg.

Don suggests we will be seeing "coal-powered car" in Webster's Dictionary in the near future.

Oh, the headline: Hybrids can be less polluting than coal-powered EVs

By the way, faux environmentalists are arguing the same point when trying to "ban" coal shipments to Asia. Even though we won't be using this coal in our country, faux environmentalists are arguing that the carbon footprint produced by hauling all that coal and building those new west coast terminals is enough reason to ban shipping coal to Asia. The EPA has directed the US Army Corps of Engineers to thoroughly study that issue before approving applicable permits.