Environmental groups and power companies are touting the benefits of emissions-free electric vehicles as a way to cut pollution in Texas.
But do electric vehicles, especially in Texas where much electricity is generated with coal, simply move emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack?
"The electricity grid is a mix of generation technologies, some dirty and some clean. With electricity generation that tends toward dirtier feedstocks (like coal), you get fewer emissions benefits from electric vehicles," said Luke Tonachel, senior analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
About 37 percent of Texas power comes from coal, according to July data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state's grid operator.
But even charged with power from dirtier sources, electric cars are cleaner than today's average vehicle and on par with the cleanest hybrids, Tonachel said.
