Are Electric Cars Better For The Environment

One reason a lot of people have bought electric vehicles is because there has been a popular belief that they are better for the environment. However, that belief has recently been challenged as researchers claim electric cars are more harmful.

One study recently by the publication known as Environmental Science & Technology concluded electric vehicles may actually be more harmful than gas vehicles, at least in China, the most populated country in the world.

Christopher Cherry, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at University of Tennessee along with some of his colleagues concluded electric vehicles pollute the air more than gas vehicles because of how the electricity is generated. About 85 percent of China's electricity is created via fossil fuels, and about 95 percent of that is created via coal.

"The study emphasizes that electric vehicles are attractive if they are powered by a clean energy source," Cherry said to Eurekalert. "In China and elsewhere, it's important to focus on deploying electric vehicles in cities with cleaner electricity generation and focusing on improving emission controls in higher polluting power sectors."

Since not all of our electricity in the United States is produced the same way it is in China, it'd be interesting to hear how much better or worse people think electric cars are in America as opposed to China.

The Chinese government is still working to add more sources of electricity, and if that happens, electric cars could possible improve significantly.SIMILAR POSTS:

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