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Electric vehicles/Fossil fuel powered (view source)

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Accounted for the different GHG of different fuels. I still plan to refactor the calculations so the steps are less awkward.
(Added more detail, but didn't account for the differences of GHG of each fuel yet.)
(Accounted for the different GHG of different fuels. I still plan to refactor the calculations so the steps are less awkward.)
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'''Yes.'''
'''Yes.'''


The carbon emissions are '''almost exactly the same''' for electricity generated by
The carbon emissions are '''about the same''' as gas cars, if the electricity is generated by
* coal power plants
* coal power plants
* ''simple'' natural gas power plants
* ''simple'' natural gas power plants


For ''advanced'' natural gas power plants, which are more efficient, best-case carbon emissions are still more than '''half''' of what they'd be from driving a gas car.
For ''advanced'' natural gas power plants, which are more efficient, best-case carbon emissions are about '''half''' of what they'd be from driving a gas car.


==Long answer==
==Long answer==
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What is the environmental impact of lithium batteries? - Changeit ...</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
What is the environmental impact of lithium batteries? - Changeit ...</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
changeit.app › blog › 2021-03-26-environmental-impact-of-lithium-batteries </nowiki>
changeit.app › blog › 2021-03-26-environmental-impact-of-lithium-batteries </nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>coal.ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>95.35 kg / million btu</nowiki>
|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning coal</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
}}
}}
{{dp
{{dp
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|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning gasoline</nowiki>
|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning gasoline</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.fugitive_ghg</nowiki>
|<nowiki>176.1 million tonnes / year</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Greenhouse gas CO2eq of fugitive methane leaks from all natural gas infrastructure in the USA</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
2016 Complete Report (PDF)</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Using data from 2014</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>27.9 quadrillion btu / year</nowiki>
|<nowiki>U.S. energy consumption from natural gas combustion only</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
2016 Complete Report (PDF)</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Datapoint was found on page 115, from pie chart and line graph, using data from 2014</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.fugitive_ghg / usa.natural_gas.energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Fugitive emissions (CO2eq) of natural gas, per unit energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Average based on US datapoints.</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>natural_gas.ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>53.07 kg / million btu</nowiki>
|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning natural gas</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Does not include the fugitive methane emissions from unburned fuel. Those vary by how the gas is burned.</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
}}
}}
{{dp
{{dp
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''Now compare for the gasoline a non-electric car would burn, on average:''
''Now compare for the gasoline a non-electric car would burn, on average:''
{{calc
{{calc
|average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time * gasoline.ghg_by_energy / car.fuel_economy
|gasoline.ghg_by_energy * average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time / car.fuel_economy
|tonnes / year
|tonnes / year
|gasoline_ghg
|gasoline_ghg
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''Now, for coal power plants charging EVs, same amount of driving:''
''Now, for coal power plants charging EVs, same amount of driving:''
{{calc
{{calc
|average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time * gasoline.ghg_by_energy / fuel_economy_if_coal
|coal.ghg_by_energy * average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time / fuel_economy_if_coal
|tonnes / year
|tonnes / year
|coal_ghg
|coal_ghg
|
|Imprecision note: {{x|This currently uses <tt>gasoline.ghg_by_energy</tt> when it should use <tt>coal.ghg_by_energy</tt>. The differences are minor though.}}
}}
}}


''Now, for advanced natural gas power plants charging EVs, same amount of driving:''
''Now, for advanced natural gas power plants charging EVs, same amount of driving:''
{{calc
{{calc
|average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time * gasoline.ghg_by_energy / fuel_economy_if_advanced_natural_gas
|(natural_gas.ghg_by_energy + natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy) * average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time / fuel_economy_if_advanced_natural_gas
|tonnes / year
|tonnes / year
|advanced_natural_gas_ghg
|advanced_natural_gas_ghg
|
|Imprecision note: {{x|This currently uses <tt>gasoline.ghg_by_energy</tt> when it should use <tt>(natural_gas.ghg_by_energy + natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy)</tt>. The differences are minor though.}}
}}
}}


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}}
}}


Thus, emissions are about the same for coal as gasoline-powered cars. Emissions are only a bit better for ''advanced'' natural gas power plants. Also this doesn't count the other environmental impacts {{light|(non-CO<sub>2</sub>)}} of mining lithium & cobalt.
Thus, with coal power, emissions are worse than driving a gasoline-powered car. But for ''advanced'' natural gas power plants, emissions are about half. In either case, this doesn't count the other environmental impacts {{light|(non-CO<sub>2</sub>)}} of mining lithium & cobalt.


<!-- TODO: redo this with more precision: coal.ghg_by_energy and natural_gas.ghg_by_energy? but then what about fugitive emissions? maybe make a datapoint "natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy" that factors it in -->
<!-- TODO: redo this with more precision: coal.ghg_by_energy and natural_gas.ghg_by_energy? but then what about fugitive emissions? maybe make a datapoint "natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy" that factors it in -->
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