Based on the U.S. power plant fleet average, CO2 emissions from an electric vehicle are nearly 4 times LESS than a gasoline vehicle.

1. With energy from coal generation, CO2 emissions from an EV are over 31% LESS.
Electric
Vehicles
vs
Gasoline
Vehicles:
CO2
Emissions
from
Coal-Fired Power Plants
Electricity is required for “fueling” electric vehicles (EVs), AND for the production of gasoline.
13.5 lbs. of CO2
(1)
10.91 kWh(3)
“0” Emissions
2.46 lbs. of CO2
(5)
6 kWh(4) 19.64 lbs. of CO2
(6)
24.5 lbs. of CO2
(1)
Total CO2 emissions from generating(1)(4), refining(5) and burning(6) one gallon of gasoline total 35.6 lbs.
CO2 emissions from generating 10.91 kWh(1), enough to power the Focus Electric 31 miles(3), total 24.5
lbs., over 31% LESS than the gas-burning equivalent vehicle.
A Ford Focus can travel 31 miles on one gallon of gas(2). The Ford Focus Electric requires 10.91 kWh
to travel that same distance of 31 miles(3).

2. The average U.S. Power Plant emits 13.3 lbs. of CO2 to produce 10.91 kWh of electricity(7),
enough to power the Ford Focus Electric EV 31 miles(3).
Electric
Vehicles
vs
Gasoline
Vehicles:
CO2
Emissions
based
on
Power Plant Fleet Average
The average U.S. Power Plant emits 7.3 lbs. of CO2 to produce 6 kWh of electricity(7),
enough to refine one gallon of gasoline(4).
Based on the U.S. power plant fleet average, CO2 emissions from an electric vehicle are
more than 2 times LESS than a gasoline vehicle.
Coupled with 2.46 lbs. of CO2 emitted during the oil refining process(5), plus 19.64 lbs. of
CO2 emitted when one gallon of gasoline is burned(6), total CO2 emissions from a gasoline
Ford Focus = 29.4 lbs., 2.2 times higher than the emissions from an equivalent EV.

3. "You
have
enough
electricity
to
power
all
the
cars
in
the
country
if
you
stop
refining
gasoline"
"You
take
an
average
of
5
kilowa3
hours
to
refine
[one
gallon
of]
gasoline,
something
like
the
Model
S
can
go
20
miles
on
5
kilowa3
hours."
Elon
Musk,
Business
Insider,
October
26,
2011(8)

4. Footnotes and References
1) The EPA states that average CO2 emission rates in the United States from coal-fired generation are 2,249 lbs./MWh of
carbon dioxide, or 2.25 lbs./kWh (http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/air-emissions.html).
2) The U.S. EPA reports that the combined MPG rating for the 2.0L, 2015 Ford Focus is 31 MPG. (
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/)
3) The U.S. EPA reports that the 2015 Ford Focus Electric requires 32 kWh to travel 100 miles. (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/).
Therefore, 9.92 kWh will power the vehicle 31 miles or the same distance that the gas-burning equivalent will travel using
one gallon of gasoline. Accounting for a 10% loss during the conversion of AC to DC power by the vehicle’s on-board
charger, a supply to the vehicle of 10.91 kWh is required.
4) 6 kWh are required to refine one gallon of gasoline. (
http://greentransportation.info/life-cycle/electricity-to-refine-gallon-gasoline.html) (
http://gatewayev.org/how-much-electricity-is-used-refine-a-gallon-of-gasoline)
5) 2.45 lbs. of CO2 are emitted from refining one gallon of gasoline (
http://www.afteroilev.com/Pub/CO2_Emissions_from_Refining_Gasoline.pdf)
6) 19.64 lbs. of CO2 are produced from burning a gallon of gasoline that does not contain ethanol. (
http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=307&t=11)
7) On average, electricity sources emit 1.222 lbs. CO2 per kWh. (http://www.carbonfund.org/how-we-calculate) (EPA, eGRID
and Summary Tables; http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/egrid/)
8) Business Insider, Oct. 26, 2011 (
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/10/26/businessinsiderelon-musk-and-chris-.DTL&ao=4)