I’ve been skeptical of all-electric cars.
After more research, I’m coming around.

Here are some of my readers’ questions.

“What’s the difference between putting CO2 out the tailpipe burning gasoline and putting it up the smokestack burning coal to make electricity?”

Apparently, for the same car trip even the worst coal-fired generators are cleaner than the average gasoline engine. And as older power plants are dismantled, that should get a little better.

“Isn’t electricity more expensive than gas?”

Not if you recharge your car at night when utilities can (and soon will) charge less because demand is low. Even in the day, the electricity needed to drive a mile (at $0.12/kW) is cheaper than gas (at $3.50/gal) for the same distance. And over the next ten years, petroleum is projected to rise in price more than the coal or natural gas for generating stations.

“Aren’t lead and lithium batteries recycling nightmares?”

First, the batteries last a heck of a long time. (I can vouch. Our family’s old hybrid passed 207,000 miles this week, with no sign of weakening.) Second, car companies know they will be held accountable; they’re designing their batteries to recycle easily.

Besides the great torque at all speeds, all-electric vehicles give tremendous flexibility. We can replace our power company with home or municipal solar or wind, making those sources more cost-effective. Shops and restaurants will compete to charge our car while we’re visiting. The power company will likely offer to buy back some power from our plugged-in car during peak power times like hot summer afternoons. Electric cars have lower-maintenance stuff under the hood than gas cars. Oh, and did I mention the great torque?

There is still a lot of hype, so I’m still worried about the net environmental and financial benefits. But I’m coming around.

What have you heard?