Are Colorado’s Electric Cars As Green As You Think?

By Sam Brasch
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Photo: Electric Car Charge Oregon (AP)
Electric cars are inching into the mainstream worldwide, but are they a clear environmental winner for Colorado? After all, their climate friendliness is a major selling point.

Map: UCS EV Report
The map below is from the UCS study. It rates states on a good-better-best scale, with places like New York and California scoring best.

Chart: Coal generation in RMPA region
The UCS compared different grid regions of the U.S. to see which would make an average EV the cleanest. Colorado didn't come in last, but it's EPA grid region did. And its grid region reaches north into large parts of Wyoming, where coal accounts for a much greater percentage of power generation than it does in Colorado. In other words, Wyoming drags down the whole EPA grid region.

Chart: Colo. EV Sales Vs. Gas Prices

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