Sure, we all want to be nice to Mother Earth, but let’s be real — if you live in Middle-of-Nowhere, Vt., you’re going to need a car to get around. If you want the cleanest, greenest vehicle on four wheels, you’ll want an electric car, right? In Vermont that’s the case, but in other states … maybe not!

In fact, there are only 11 states where an electric car is better for the environment than a high-efficiency gas hybrid, and Vermont is one of them, according to a new study by Climate Central. Here, the best electric car emits as much carbon as a gas-powered car that gets 2600 miles per gallon. Good luck finding one of those.

What’s the difference? When your car is powered by the grid, it matters where the grid gets its juice — because what’s the point of a plug-in car if it’s plugging into mountaintop removal? Vermont is the only state in the nation that doesn’t get any electricity at all from coal or natural gas sources — here it’s all nuclear, hydropower and a little bit from “other renewables.”

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Tyler Machado was the digital media manager at Seven Days. He mostly worked behind the scenes making sure the website, email newsletters and social media feeds stayed in tip-top shape.

3 replies on “Electric Cars: Climate Friendly in Vermont, Not in Kentucky”

  2. I have a dream that one day everyone will be driving 150mph down the road in tesla electric roadsters =)

  3. Smart car has an electric car for 139 / month to lease… offered early in Vermont and a few other states. Except the closest Smart Dealer is in NY 🙁

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