Are electric vehicles as green as we think?
BOSTON - Electric vehicle (EV) sales continue to surge. It's expected that EV's will make up 18 percent of all vehicles on the road by the end of this year, up from just 4 percent in 2020. The benefits are obvious: eliminating the cost of gas and helping the environment.
But are they as green as we think? WBZ-TV went looking for answers.
We caught up with Jonas, a Tesla owner, as he topped off at the Newton Service Plaza.
"For people like me who commute a lot around the state, it's kind of a no brainer" he said. A new "EV loyalist," it wasn't a hard sell to make the switch, even if his old ride was a Mercedes.
"I had a C63 AMG. So I had a V8 twin turbo car. [The gas mileage was] maybe 16 on a good day" he chuckled. Jonas is like the growing number of EV owners who are ditching internal combustion for greener pastures.
"I said to myself 'Yeah, it's definitely going to be doing something for the environment and it's definitely going to be doing something for my pocket also,' so why not?"
But just how environmentally green are they? We asked an expert.
"If I were to characterize an EV, I'd have to say it's more beige than green," said Jim Aloisi. The former transportation secretary throws cold water on anyone who thinks it's just rainbows and butterflies being emitted from those EV tailpipes.
"It's certainly greener from a tailpipe carbon emissions perspective, no doubt about that. But every externality of automobility, everything an automobile depends upon - the parking facility, the roadway that it operates on, those are highly carbon intensive," he explained.
Then there's the vehicles themselves. The battery makes them extremely heavy: the small Chevy Bolt is heavier than the full-sized Malibu. The standard Tesla Model 3 can outweigh a mid-sized SUV.
"The heavier the vehicle, that tire friction will be doing more damage to the pavement and emitting more particulate matter, pm 2.5 is the term," Aloisi continued.
That particulate matter is comprised of microscopic particles that are sent into the air from the brakes, the tires and the roadway. Studies have shown it can create serious health problems like heart disease, asthma, and more.
But let's pump the brakes on the doom and gloom.
"The particulate matter that comes from heavier vehicles is less, it's a small issue, especially relative to what we're getting from tailpipe emissions and especially what we'd be getting from internal combustion engines," said Ben Prochazka of the Electrification Coalition.
He also added that dependency on electricity is a better choice than depending on foreign nations for oil.
"That means we're price stable, it means it's good for our democracy, it's good for our national security, it's good for our economic security because electricity is incredibly price stable."
Consumer Reports has tested EV's extensively. It found repair and maintenance costs of EV's are 50 percent lower than gas cars. Fuel savings can be around $5,000 over the first seven years and EV's hold their value better than other vehicles.
Aloisi himself IS a proponent of EV's. He just thinks a further mindset shift has to occur. We can't just think about cars, but all sorts of transportation.
"If the choice is internal combustion engine or EV, go with the EV. What I am saying is we need to move 10, 15, maybe even 20 percent of people who drive today, to not drive but take transit or rail," he said.
Of course, that COULD be a tough sell to EV loyalists...like Jonas.
If you have a question you'd like us to look into, please email questioneverything@cbsboston.com.
