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Chinese Electric Car Pollution More Harmful to Humans Than Gas Cars

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Once again Mr. Cherry's research is flawed to start with. Since China' doesn't have the clean air laws we have no sequestration of the coal fired plants exists like it does here. So blaming the EVs for the power generation is a flawed assumption. Many EVs over here are plugged into solar arrays so the energy from the car is zero Emission. Mr. Cherry isn't an EVangelist because of some other reason. I wonder who funded the research. Follow the money.

Douglas Stansfield of NJ 8:17AM February 14, 2012

It's easy to tout the "cleanliness" of electric vehicles in comparison to fossil based fuel vehicles during their utilization to transport people and things from point A to point B, perhaps even for round trips. As this article suggests we must include the environmental impact(s) of the power generation to keep electric vehicles charged.
Shouldn't we also consider the environmental impact(s) of each vehicle's manufacture and its component parts and sub-assemblies? Are the chemicals, exotic metals and processes utilized to create the massive battery pacs for vehicles any cleaner or safer for the environment than the manufacture of a fossil fuel based engine?
What are the environmental costs/exposures incurred when the vehicles are disposed of or recycled. Based on my experience with automotive fuel and fluid spills I find them almost utopian compared to the effects of liquid and chemical leaks from batteries. Few things are as gross as opening a battery powered device that has experienced a battery chemical leak. That stuff is not only corrosive and/or caustic, but deadly.
Next to last but not least electric powered vehicle have such limited range of operation that they have no practical application. Even a 100 mile round trip capacity is of limited utility. If you live more than 50 miles from a destination how do you make the trip? Yeah! Right! every destination will have adequate re-charge stations.
Finally there are those that claim 'just plug your electric car into your home's solar power system'. Be honest. What percentage of the driving public can afford an exotic solar system capable of powering not only their home but also their vehicle(s), if they can even afford an electric vehicle to begin with.

JohnFLob of NC 12:17AM February 14, 2012

This article is misleading in that the fuel consumed to power an electric car for the same distance using coal power plant is still much less as would be needed to power a gas or diesel car. So the net result is still much less carbon-based fuel consumption from electric cars.
Articles like these are scare tactics to gert people not to buy electric cars.
What this reporter should instead concentrate on is in getting us to limit the amount of coal plants we use. Don't blame it on the electric car. Blame it on coal.

Boutros Al Wostani 9:47PM February 13, 2012

no one thinks about the depleted batteries and what has to be done to dispose of them -- electric cars are not the answer. I worked for 30+ years in a coal mine in Texas and I know we did polute but not as much as one might think. Alt energy needs to be explored but we can not just over night change to electric cars and fix anything. In bad traffic crashes batteries are going to get damaged and clean up is not going to be cheap either. It sounds good to switch but I do not think the idea has been thought thru enough. Clean diesel engines I think might be a better short term alternative.

Moose of FL 7:35PM February 13, 2012

Bet the study didn't include the coal burned to create the electricity to refine crude oil into gasoline, or the filthy air produced by oil tankers burning bunker fuel as they inefficiently deliver oil from the middle east to other parts of the world.
It's also clear that EVs get cleaner as the electric grid gets cleaner, something we'll never be able to say about gasoline cars. And, of course, it's possible to use a home solar system to power an electric car -- something which thousands in the U.S. are already doing, including us, very soon. Can't say that about gasoline cars.

Chris of CO 7:01PM February 13, 2012

There are hundreds of ways to generate electricity. Period.

Jimmy Young of CA 4:53PM February 13, 2012

It sould be easier cleaning up one coal plant then many cars!
And electric cars recharge in the night, when KW is cheap.
But hundreds coal mine fires burns forever in China, and they will never be depolluted!
Some coal mine burns since writing invention, 6 KYears BP...

Jean-Francois Morf, Charrat, Switzerland 3:51PM February 13, 2012

We're still waiting for an AFFORDABLE electric car that isn't priced for rich environmentalists or sports car enthusiasts. And, how about one that comes with movable solar panels to do at least a partial charge during the day? Give it a 100-mile range for commuting and errands around the neighborhood with a max speed of 70mph.
Where are those electric cars? Until I see one of those for less than 20K, I'll keep saying that American auto-makers are not serious about this. Or they're bought by the oil companies.

freetexas of TX 3:30PM February 13, 2012