How are cars powered by electricity made from coal less environmentally damaging than cars that burn gasoline?
In: Technology
Because coal is only one electricity source among many – other sources (even natural gas) have a significantly lower carbon footprint by comparison. The practical consequence of this is that even if you account for the contribution of coal, [99% of the US’ population](https://blog.ucsusa.org/dave-reichmuth/new-data-show-electric-vehicles-continue-to-get-cleaner) live in places where driving a Model 3 will yield lower per-mile emissions than even a Prius. In Europe, EVs [also realize significantly lower lifecycle emissions than diesels](https://www.transportenvironment.org/press/electric-cars-emit-less-co2-over-their-lifetime-diesels-even-when-powered-dirtiest-electricity).
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