Are electric vehicles really better for the environment if the electricity to charge them comes from a coal power plant?

Electric motors are incredibly more efficient at using energy than a typical combustion motor, so even if the electricity to charge the batteries comes completely from coal, the overall carbon emissions into the environment are less than an average gas-powered car. Perhaps even more importantly, electric vehicles dramatically reduce the amount of toxic emissions in urban areas where people live and breathe the air. By focusing emissions at the power source, any advances in 'clean coal' or other methods of reducing emissions will benefit all EV drivers immediately, without having to purchase a new vehicle.

However, this is an issue that's becoming less and less relevant, as alternative energy production sources are brought onto the national grid. Currently, only 50% of the nation's energy comes from coal, with the remaining percentage provided by nuclear (20%), hydroelectric (6%), and other renewable sources.

The story is even better in Oregon, where 60% of our state's electricity comes from hydroelectric sources and only 8% from coal. This is also improving as wind, solar and wave power is being added to the state electrical grid.