I heard rumors that electric cars cause more pollution?
There is a partial truth to that. Based on the GREET model developed by the Department of Energy, although electric vehicles are roughly 40% more energy efficient than conventional gasoline vehicles, electric vehicles causes more sulphur oxides emission (measured well-to-wheel) than its conventional counterpart. That’s because many power plants still use coal as a power source. In the next decade or so, thanks to various government incentives, more electricity (by percentage) will come from differently forms of clean energy sources: wind, solar, hydro, etc. These green energy sources produce no harmful emissions at all. See this Wikipedia reference. Grid-connected EV/PHEV will also help utility companies balance their day/night current loads, which further increases availability and affordability of electricity. Another attractive feature is the Technology Readiness of electric vehicles. EV technologies are very mature (as demonstrated by EV1 and various other vehicles) and ready for m
