Source: Hackaday
The "coal-powered EV" critique—that battery vehicles are environmentally worse than gas cars when charged on fossil fuel grids—doesn't hold up to real-world numbers. Even in regions relying heavily on coal and natural gas for electricity, EVs produce lower lifetime emissions than internal combustion engines within 1-3 years of ownership, and the gap widens as grids decarbonize. The objection persists in consumer and policy debates despite being empirically false, creating friction against EV adoption that lacks environmental justification.