To celebrate National Drive Electric Month, we want to remind ourselves of the environmental, public health, and economic benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) and why they are so critical to the clean energy transition.
As part of our Truth To Power campaign, we dispelled clean energy myths and hosted a webinar on the many benefits of EVs. This blog retells and expands on that webinar.
Environmental Benefits
EVs produce much less carbon pollution than gas and diesel vehicles, both on a per-mile and lifecycle basis.
Source: 2024 EPA Automative Trends Report.
Transportation is the leading emissions sector in the country and the largest emitter in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. EVs produce less emissions per-mile when charged up from the grid in New England.
In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency found that without battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), the average real-world per-mile emissions or fuel economy of new vehicles would have barely changed in the past ten years. (To read more about important takeaways from this EPA report, check out our blog post.)
Despite heavier vehicles becoming the norm, big and small EVs produce fewer emissions over their lifetime than gas cars. A 2022 report by the Union of Concerned Scientists compares the average lifecycle emissions between gas and electric cars and trucks. Lifecycle emissions refer to the processes of vehicle and battery manufacturing, as well as time spent in operation, on the road, and the generation of fuel or electricity. Though battery manufacturing emits a substantial amount of pollution, overall, electric cars and trucks emit more than 50% less than gas cars and trucks from the manufacturing process to the end of the vehicle’s lifetime.
Source: Driving Cleaner: Electric Cars and Pickups Beat Gasoline on Lifetime Global Warning Emissions (2022).
Public Health Benefits
The more EVs on the road in place of gas cars, the cleaner our air and the better the public health. While all road vehicles contribute to local air pollution through brake and tire wear and tear, gasoline vehicles emit more harmful toxins, such as particulate matter, which increases the chance of adverse respiratory conditions. Impacts are felt everywhere but are predominantly concentrated in lower-income communities and communities of color.
Our most vulnerable and at-risk populations to pollution and policy-induced health inequities are children, pregnant women, and the elderly. In its 2024 report focusing on the impacts of electrification on children’s health, the American Lung Association states that 120 million Americans reside in highly polluted communities, and more than a third of this figure accounts for children. The need to electrify is an equity issue that we must prioritize for the well-being of our neighbors.
Predictive modeling by the ALA finds that asthma attacks would be avoided during the transition to clean vehicles. Additionally, cleaner air will save taxpayers in the long run. In a scenario where all new vehicle sales are electric by 2050, the ALA predicts in another report that total health savings would amount to $14.7 billion in Massachusetts and $3.2 billion in Rhode Island. These numbers consider the number of avoided asthma attacks, ER visits, lost days at work, and premature deaths influenced by clean vehicles and cleaner air.
Watch the recording of our recent webinar on the public health benefits of EVs.
Source: American Lung Association: Zeroing in on Healthy Air (2022).
Economic Benefits
Electric vehicles keep refueling dollars local.
When you plug in to charge your EV, the dollars you spend on electricity flow back to generators in our region. Filling up a tank with gas, on the other hand, sends money from our region to other parts of the country and world where fossil fuels are extracted and processed.
EV drivers save on maintenance and fuel costs.
Expect less frequent trips to the repair shop, too. EVs have fewer moving parts than gas cars; for example, you’ll never need an oil change again. With batteries lasting 15 to 20 years, your EV battery should outlive your use of the vehicle. If for any reason your battery needed replacement, battery warranties cover the first eight years or 100,000 miles.
Additionally, consumers save a couple of cents per mile driven when charging at home. For an updated savings estimate, check out our Fuel Costs Methodology. For estimated fuel costs savings on a yearly and five-year basis, try out this EV Savings Calculator.
Charging at home reduces electric rates for EV drivers and non-EV drivers.
When an EV driver charges at home, this creates a greater demand for electricity. Revenue generated from charging at home is higher than the costs associated with installing charging stations and electrical infrastructure upgrades. This creates a downward pressure on electric rates for EV drivers and non-EV drivers. For more information behind the downward pressure on rates and by-state case studies, check out this blog post we published in 2023.
Eversource and National Grid offer rebate programs for consumers to save on installing a charger at home. National Grid consumers can enroll in its managed charging program and receive a rebate for doing so, to help reduce electric demand and maximize consumer savings from lower electric rates. Eversource’s managed charging program is pending.
The Big Picture
EVs offer economic, health, and environmental benefits on the personal and national level. EV drivers save on fuel and maintenance costs while contributing to cleaner air in the world around them. In our current climate, incentives and EV education play a key role in pushing the electrification transition forward. Disinformation might be all around us, but the facts remain steadfast. Our hope is to dispel myths and help make EVs more accessible.
If you are considering making the switch, you can access more savings through the federal tax credit until September 30, 2025.
Not sure about the next step? Compare and learn about available EVs with our EV Finder!
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