Won’t plugging into the power grid just shift the pollution to the coal-fired power plants, and not solve the emissions problem?
First, not all power comes from coal. The GM-volt cost of operation page has a really good graph showing what percentage comes from where. Taking into account that nuclear, hydroelectric, and “other renewables” such as solar and wind account for ~29% of all power, and do not produce gaseous emissions, that alone reduces the pollution by 29%. Secondly, and more significantly, even if all plug-in power came from coal, electric motors make far better use of that energy than a gasoline engine. For example, 1 gallon of gasoline weighs about 14.3kg, and at an energy density of 12,700 Watt-hours per kg, that’s about 181,610 watt-hours per gallon. Even the most fuel efficient cars (Prius, Civic hybrid, etc) average less than 50 mpg – and that puts consumption at 3,632 watt-hours per mile. By contrast, electric drivetrains use a paltry 200-300 watt-hours per mile.
