Electric Vehicles Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions

On average, traditional gas-powered cars emit approximately 404 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. Emissions contribute to climate change in addition to negatively impacting air quality. Because electric vehicles do not use internal combustion, they produce no tailpipe exhaust. This ensures electric vehicles' net carbon dioxide emissions are considerably smaller.

Carbon dioxide levels have risen 43% since the Industrial Revolution. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat in Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a global temperature increase of 2 degrees Fahrenheit−a change large enough to melt polar ice caps, contribute to massive forest fires, and cause extreme weather patterns. Personal vehicles account for roughly one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Carbon Dioxide Produced by Internal Combustion Vehicles

Fill in the form below to find out how much carbon dioxide you or your community emits as part of daily commutes and the equivalent amount of deforestation:

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Electric Vehicles Poised for Growth In Boston

Assuming local growth mirrors global trends, Boston will have 59,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2030.

According to Go Boston 2030 there were only 351 electric vehicles in Boston in 2014. However, the International Energy Agency's Global EV Outlook of 2019 predicts considerable growth in the number of electric vehicles to more than 150 times of 2015 levels. If Boston experiences that level of expansion--likely a conservative estimatef given Boston's resources--the number of electric vehicles in the city will exceed 59,000 in 2030.

Electric Vehicles Will Reduce Boston's Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Assuming the International Energy Agency's EV30@30 Scenario, electric vehicle adoption would reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 50,000 tons by 2030−the equivalent of preventing the deforestation of nearly 2 million trees.

The International Energy Agency predicts that electric vehicles will reduce 6% of global carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector by 2030. Based on the Massachusetts vehicle census from 2014, there were nearly 260,000 households in Boston producing on average 3.57 tons of carbon dioxide from annual driving. This amounts to nearly 930,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions for the entire city of Boston. Based on the International Energy Agency's projections of electric vehicle adoption, total emissions in the City of Boston will drop by 52,607 tons by 2030. Under the "Recharge Boston" initiative, we expect the City to surpass these projections, leading to further carbon dioxide reduction. Given the ambitious target set by the Climate Action Plan, the city must proactively remove obstacles to the introduction of electric vehicles.