How green is your EV? In the US, it varies per region

Electric vehicles (EVs) are better for the climate and for air quality than cars with internal combustion engines (ICEs). But by how much? That depends on how sustainably the electricity for your EV is generated. As this map shows, that factor varies quite a bit across the United States. 

Under the Biden Administration, the U.S. is racing to catch up with China and Europe on electrifying its transport sector. As the offer expands, regulations change and infrastructure improves, both America’s corporates and private consumers will start to seriously weigh the pros and cons of EVs. 

Two important considerations
From a corporate perspective, there are two important considerations. One is the cost comparison (EVs vs. ICEs), the other is CSR – the corporate social responsibility to ‘do the right thing’. And as it turns out – and as this map proves – there is considerable variation on how ‘green’ EVs are in terms of emissions. This means that the strength of the CSR argument varies regionally.

While the data shows that EVs cause significantly fewer emissions than ICEs, even fully electric vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions can’t be emissions-neutral if the electricity used to power them is generated in a non-sustainable way. 

In a recent investigation, CleanTechnica explored that link. As is standard practice in the U.S., the yardstick for measuring vehicle emissions is fuel efficiency. The nationwide average for EVs – taking into account emissions released in the production of the electricity that powers them – currently is 93 mpg (39.5 km/l). This means that the average EV in the U.S. produces as much greenhouse gases as a petrol vehicle with a fuel economy of 93 miles per gallon. For comparison, that’s more efficient than:

• The average new petrol car in the U.S.: 31 mpg (13 km/l)
• The average new pickup truck in the U.S.: 23 mpg (10 km/l)
• The most efficient petrol car in the U.S.: 59 mpg (25 km/l)

Green argument improving
The green argument for EVs in the U.S. continues to improve. Overall, they produce 15% less emissions than in 2018. And virtually all Americans (97%) live in an area where EVs now produce fewer emissions than a petrol car with a fuel efficiency of 50 mpg. A decade ago, the same could be said of less than 50% of Americans. 

Of course, EVs themselves have become more efficient; but the bulk of the improvement is due to power plants using less coal (from 45% to 23% in the decade up to 2019), and more wind and solar (from 2% to 9%). As a result, emissions from power plants fell by 11% just between 2016 and 2019.

Image: Union of Concerned Scientists

The map, which shows the U.S. divided in its 25 Energy Market Modules (EMMs), underscores that driving an EV produces fewer emissions than driving an average new petrol car anywhere in the U.S. However, the results vary greatly.

EVs attain their lowest scores in:

• HIOA: the EMM covering western Hawaii (36 mpg; 15.3 km/l),
• SRMW: eastern Missouri and the southern part of Illinois (41 mpg; 17.4 km/l), and
• MORE: half of Wisconsin (43 mpg; 18.3 km/l).  

Three-digit scores
In most other EMMs, the scores hover between 50 to around 90 mpg. In 5 regions do the EVs achieve three-digit scores, meaning that these are the areas where they achieve the ‘greenest’ results. They are:

• AKMS: most of Alaska (109 mpg; 46.3 km/l)
• NYCW: New York City and environs (109 mpg; 46.3 km/l)
• NEWE: the six New England states (122 mpg; 52 km/l)
• CAMX: most of California (134 mpg; 57 km/l)
• NYUP: upstate New York (255 mpg; 19.7 km/l)

To put that last figure in context: driving an EV in upstate New York produces one-tenth of the emissions of driving an average new petrol car. Of course, these are averages for the EVs as well, meaning that buyers who opt for more efficient EVs will achieve even better results.

Even the least efficient EVs – electric versions of SUVs and pickup trucks – are still more fuel-efficient, and thus less polluting, than their petrol versions. And since U.S. electricity generation is getting cleaner, relying more and more on sustainable sources, so will EVs – even if they wouldn’t get more efficient, which they will.

Pictured: the 2021 Polestar 2 BEV in Palm Springs, California (credit: Shutterstock)