Swapping your gas car for an EV is greener than keeping it, research shows

A new study published in the journal Science indicates that even considering the environmental impacts of building new electric vehicles, swapping out a gas-powered car for an EV is the more eco-friendly choice.

As Tik Root explains in a piece in Grist, "swapping even a two-year-old gas car for an EV leads to a lifetime emissions savings of roughly 50 percent," according to the study. Despite a common belief otherwise, "The emissions saved by driving an EV very quickly compensate for the planet-warming gases generated by building it."

Professor and study author Elliot Campbell says the study was designed largely in favor of gas cars, for example, treating the emissions caused by building gas cars as a sunk cost. "EV still came out ahead, which suggests that climate-conscious drivers should make the switch as soon as it’s feasible."

The study notes that the benefit is greatest in places where the grid generates the most renewable energy. "But even in the Rockies, where coal and natural gas are the norm, an EV is better than anything getting less than 68 mpg."