Electric Cars Alone Won’t Drive a Drop in U.S. Emissions: Study

Electric cars can help limit reliance on imported oil and take a bite out of air pollution from urban traffic jams. But as sure-fire ammunition against climate change, a new study finds, they come up short.

The study attempted to take a big-picture view, analyzing the ripple effects of electric vehicles on the U.S. energy system, including possible changes in emissions of key air pollutants like heat-trapping carbon dioxide. The team of researchers, led by Joseph DeCarolis, assistant professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering at North Carolina State University, created a model to look at the complex interplay among fuel prices, battery costs, government policies, and adoption of electric cars in the coming decades.  (See related quiz: What You Don't Know About Cars and Fuel.)   Continue reading on The Great Energy Challenge.