Are Electric Cars Better for the Environment?

If you’re looking to improve your gas mileage and performance on the Oceanside roads, consider a hybrid or EV! At Quality Chevrolet, we offer a wide variety of new and pre-owned Chevy hybrid and EV models, each with plenty of unique advantages. If you’ve never driven a hybrid or electric car before, you probably have a lot of questions. For example: what is a hybrid car? How does it differ from an EV? Are hybrids and EVs really better for the environment? Quality Chevrolet has the EV and hybrid car definition, environmental benefits, and more in the guide below.

EV and Hybrid Car Definition

Before we dive into the environmental efficiency of hybrid and electric cars, let’s go over the basic EV and hybrid car meaning. So, what is a hybrid car, and what is an EV?

Both hybrids and EVs are powered by an electric motor, but hybrid cars also have the traditional internal combustion engine under the hood. The engine and electric motor work together to improve gas mileage and performance on the Oceanside roads. Electric vehicles are solely powered by electricity, often enjoying powerhouse performance specs, near-instantaneous torque, and impressive acceleration.

Chevy currently offers two fully-electric vehicles—the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV—with more coming down the line, including the first-ever Chevy Silverado EV, the first-ever Chevy Blazer EV, and the first-ever Chevy Equinox EV. While Chevy doesn’t currently offer any new hybrid vehicles, you can still find high-quality pre-owned models like the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, Chevy Volt, and Chevy Malibu Hybrid.

EVs, Hybrids, & the Environment

EVs and hybrids bring a lot of measurable benefits, like improved gas mileage and performance specs. They also come with financial benefits—the federal tax credits for new electric vehicles is up to $7,500, and hybrids come with many available incentives as well. But are hybrids and EVs really better for the environment?

People have fallen onto both sides of this issue. Many say that EVs are much better for the environment thanks to the lack of internal combustion engine, while others say that the electricity needed to power EVs actually result in more CO2 emissions due to coal and natural gas. So what is the truth? Let’s break down what the Environmental Protection Agency has to say on the matter.

First of all, even accounting for electricity sources like natural gas and coal, EVs and hybrids generate fewer greenhouse gases than their fully gasoline-powered counterparts. More and more EVs are drawing their electricity from renewable resources like wind and solar power, making their environmental footprint even smaller.

It’s true that it creates more carbon pollution to produce an electric vehicle than a gasoline-powered vehicle, because it takes a lot of extra energy to produce an EV’s battery. However, this extra pollution is offset by the fact that EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions due to their lack of engine, meaning that EVs still emit fewer greenhouse gases than gas-powered cars.

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Interested in testing out one of our Chevy EVs for yourself? Contact our office or stop by our dealership to set up a test drive around Poway or Carlsbad, and we’ll get you behind the wheel in no time! You can also contact us with any questions, or for more information about any of our Chevy models. Be sure to keep up with our blog for the latest automotive news, vehicle information, and service tips and tricks!