Electric Vehicles Are Cleaner than Gasoline— and Getting Better

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that the average EV in the US produces global warming emissions equivalent to a gasoline vehicle achieving 88 mpg, making it cleaner than any new gasoline car available. This advantage is driven by the decreasing share of coal in the US electricity grid and improvements in EV efficiency, notably from the Tesla Model 3. The report highlights that 94% of the US population now lives in regions where an EV is cleaner than a 50 mpg gasoline car, compared to less than 50% in 2012.

• The average electric vehicle (EV) in the United States produces global warming emissions equivalent to a gasoline vehicle with a fuel economy of 88 miles per gallon (mpg), which is significantly cleaner than the average new gasoline car (31 mpg) or truck (21 mpg).
• The proportion of the US population living in regions where an average EV is cleaner than a 50 mpg gasoline car has risen from less than 50% in 2012 to 94% in 2018.
• EV emissions have decreased by approximately 10% between 2016 and 2018, attributed to a 5% drop in power plant emissions rates and a 6% improvement in the average efficiency of EVs sold in the US.
• The Tesla Model 3 has significantly influenced the average efficiency of the US EV fleet, accounting for more than 20% of all US EVs and over one-third of battery-electric cars.
• The decarbonization of the US electricity grid is a primary driver of EV emission reductions, with the share of coal-fired power plants falling from 45% to 28% and wind and solar power increasing from less than 2% to 8% between 2009 and 2018.
• Regional variations in electricity supply create significant differences in EV emissions; for example, an average EV in upstate New York has emissions equivalent to a 231 mpg gasoline car, while in California it is equivalent to a 122 mpg car.
• Using the most efficient EV available, such as the 2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, emissions can be as low as one-tenth those of an average new gasoline car in upstate New York.

APA

Reichmuth, D. (2020). Electric Vehicles Are Cleaner than Gasoline— and Getting Better. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/evs-cleaner-than-gasoline.pdf

Chicago

Reichmuth, David. Electric Vehicles Are Cleaner than Gasoline— and Getting Better. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2020. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/evs-cleaner-than-gasoline.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Reichmuth |first1=David |title=Electric Vehicles Are Cleaner than Gasoline— and Getting Better |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=May 2020 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/evs-cleaner-than-gasoline.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{reichmuth2020electric, author = {Reichmuth, David}, title = {{Electric Vehicles Are Cleaner than Gasoline— and Getting Better}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/evs-cleaner-than-gasoline.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }