How green is an EV? A PHEV? A hybrid? Most Charged readers understand that the answer depends on many factors, including the efficiency of a particular model, the region in which it operates, and the type of driving it’s used for. The clever folks at MIT have devised the ingenious Carbon Counter, an online tool… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "emissions stud"
New study says commercial truck electrification is within reach
It’s been a long haul for electric trucks—pilots have been going on for over a decade, but fleet operators are just beginning to put in serious orders. Battery costs are often cited as a barrier to faster adoption, but a new analysis concludes that a lack of appropriate policies around adoption incentives, charging infrastructure, and… Read more »
Miami middle-school student inspires school board to electrify its school bus fleet
Electric school buses seem like a no-brainer at this point—although they cost two to three times more up front than diesel buses, at about $230,000 each, they save money in the long run, as fuel and maintenance costs are about 80 percent lower. They’re also prime candidates for future vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications, which could generate… Read more »
New emissions scandal? Tests show PHEVs emit more pollution than claimed
Sometimes it seems automakers will try any powertrain technology in order to avoid selling battery-electric vehicles. First diesels, then hydrogen, were touted as ways to reduce CO2 emissions while still maintaining the fill-er-up-with-fossil-fuel business model (and continuing to crank out the colossal SUVs that carmakers claim consumers crave). Many electric purists have long suspected that… Read more »
IEA case study: electric buses in Helsinki, Finland
The International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook is an annual report on the current state of electric mobility around the world. As always, this year’s edition contains many interesting insights about the EV market. Over 2.1 million plug-in vehicles (pure electric plus plug-in hybrid) were sold globally in 2019—a 40% year-on-year increase over 2018, which… Read more »
New study: EVs are cheaper than diesels for ride-sharing in many European capitals
As ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Lyft, Bolt and Kapten continue to explode in popularity, the environmental costs are becoming apparent. These services not only draw riders away from greener public transport options, but they result in more passenger-miles driven than when people drive themselves. The need to electrify ride-hailing vehicles is obvious. The good… Read more »
Air pollution returns to “normal,” as new study shows EVs save $10,000 each in health costs
Amid the hardships of the recent pandemic-inspired lockdowns, some saw signs of hope for the future in the clear skies and quiet streets. Could the views of distant mountains from Los Angeles to New Delhi be made permanent? The object lesson provided by the lockdowns was that, if we want cleaner air, we know how… Read more »
European Parliament to regulate carbon emissions of new heavy-duty trucks
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) recently adopted a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new heavy-duty trucks by 20 percent by 2025, and 35 percent by 2030. Manufacturers will also have to make sure vehicles with low and no emissions make up 5 percent of all sales by 2025, and 20 percent by… Read more »
European study: Electric transit buses are cheaper when health costs are considered
A new study has found that electric buses have a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than diesel counterparts, once all health-related costs are factored in. The study, which was performed by Transport & Environment (T&E), a European NGO that campaigns for cleaner transportation, found that electric buses make up about 9 percent of new… Read more »
New study: EVs emit less greenhouse gases than diesels, even in coal-heavy regions
The myth of the “long tailpipe” – the idea that, because EVs are partially powered by dirty coal, they are no cleaner than legacy vehicles – just won’t go away. In 2012, a detailed study from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that even if it were charged 100% from coal, an EV would still… Read more »