Electric vehicles (EVs) are undergoing major growth, with sales exceeding 10 million globally in 2022. We’ve reached a tipping point, so it is not surprising to see some backlash. I have noticed a recent flurry of “beware of EVs” messaging starting to make waves, but I usually take it with a grain of salt. Lately, however, there seem to be a lot of EV myths and half-truths going around. As an EV advocate, I felt it was time to set the record straight.
Fact: EVs have lower emissions than their gas-powered counterparts, regardless of where they get their electricity.
Yes, EVs have lower emissions even when charged with electricity from today’s electricity grid. A 2021 analysis found that the greenhouse gas emissions of EVs in the U.S. are up to 68% lower than comparable gas-powered vehicles. And let’s not forget, the grid is getting cleaner every year. Utah’s biggest utility, Rocky Mountain Power, plans to bring on staggering amounts of new solar, wind and energy storage. That will mean lifecycle emissions from EVs will fall even more.
Emissions from the manufacturing of EVs tend to be higher than for gas powered cars, but multiple studies find that EVs make up the gap quickly. An MIT study, for example, says that “over the course of their driving lifetimes, EVs will create fewer carbon emissions than gasoline-burning cars under nearly any conditions.”
And because EVs do not have a tailpipe, they emit no harmful air pollutants, like particulate matter, when we drive them. This is particularly important along the Wasatch Front to help with our serious air quality challenges. It is important to note that these air quality challenges are not experienced by all of us equally — those living on the west side of Salt Lake Valley bear the brunt of poor air and experience more adverse health effects as a result.
Fact: We can update our electricity grid to meet the demands of a growing EV market.
One argument against EVs is the idea that our electricity grid won’t be able to keep up. It’s true that our grid needs to be modernized, but this is no reason to delay EV adoption. Our grid needs to be updated regardless, it is a 100-year-old system that needs to be able to adopt technologies that will make it more flexible and resilient.
Thankfully, work is already underway to do this. Utilities across the country and in Utah are planning for increased demand from EVs, and ensuring our grid is able continue to provide the same standard of reliable and affordable energy to all of us for another hundred years.
Fact: EV charging is available and will only continue to grow.
Utah and states across the nation are building out our EV charging network. For example, Utah’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan – NEVI – allocates $36 million over the next five years to install charging along highways across Utah. This investment will support the addition of 15 new fast charging stations along Utah’s interstates. We are also expanding access to charging in metropolitan areas. Salt Lake City is leading the way by recently adopting an EV-readiness ordinance. Not to mention, Utah is fifth in the nation for states with the most EV chargers.
Fact: Medium-and-heavy-duty vehicle electrification is possible — and crucial.
The electric vehicle market is not limited to passenger vehicles – the electric medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) vehicle sector is especially important here in Utah, where MHD vehicles have an outsized impact on air quality. According to the Utah Division of Air Quality, “although heavy-duty diesel vehicles account for only 7.5% of the vehicle miles traveled, they produce over 30% of the pollution in Utah.”
Communities on the west side of Salt Lake Valley bear the brunt of this poor air quality as a result of their location near a lot of MHD vehicle activity, highlighting the importance of cleaning up this segment of our transportation sector.
Most of the MHD vehicles in Utah are on the smaller side of the MHD spectrum. Additionally, most (70%) heavy-duty trucks operate within 100 miles. These vehicles are the easiest to electrify, and many MHD fleet operations are ripe for successful electrification. Companies like Amazon, PepsiCo and FedEx are leading the way by electrifying their fleets at a large scale.
Fact: EVs are just one of many clean air and climate solutions.
Nobody is saying that electric vehicles are a panacea for reducing transportation emissions, or that they alone will solve all our air quality problems. And any major shift in technology comes with growing pains. But make no mistake, a zero-emission transportation system is possible, and it is for the good of our economy, our health and our climate.
Kelbe Goupil
Kelbe Goupil is excited about mitigating the climate crisis through both policy and outreach in her position as a senior associate at Utah Clean Energy. Kelbe has a background in public health and policy and is working to transform Utah’s transportation and building sectors for a cleaner environment and healthier communities.
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