9,000-Pound Hummer EV Pollutes More Than a Gas-Powered Chevy Malibu
The hype says electric vehicles are much better for the environment than their gas-powered counterparts. But the truth is more nuanced, as evidenced by the Hummer EV, according to a report from the American Council for…
The hype says electric vehicles are much better for the environment than their gas-powered counterparts.
But the truth is more nuanced, as evidenced by the Hummer EV, according to a report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
The report by Peter Huether pointed out that just because electric vehicles do not spew carbon dioxide does not mean they don’t have any environmental impact.
Calling the factor “upstream emissions,” Huether noted that when an EV owner charges his or her car, that electricity comes from an electric grid powered by fossil fuels.
Because of that, as well as the weight of batteries, “emissions per mile driven are lower for EVs than for similarly sized gasoline-powered cars, but they are not zero,” Huether wrote.
To make his point, he compared the gasoline-powered Chevy Malibu to the all-electric Hummer EV, which tips the scales at 9,000 pounds.
The Malibu comes out the winner in the emissions duel, with 320 grams of emissions per mile against 341 grams per mile for the Hummer EV.
The bottom line: “Behemoth EVs can still be worse for the environment than smaller, conventional vehicles.”
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