CLEAN TRANSPORTATION

Connecticut's transportation sector accounts for 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Cars, trucks and buses and other vehicles on Connecticut roads account for the majority of greenhouse emissions produced in our state. A switch to plug-in electric vehicles (EVs), which require no gasoline and emit no tailpipe pollution, is a critical opportunity to slash pollution, create American jobs, reduce oil dependence, and forever change the impact of vehicles on our planet. Improving transit, and making walking and biking safer and more convenient are also changes needed to affect the impact that driving has on our environment and our wellbeing.

About Electric Cars

A fully electric vehicle uses electricity to power a battery. A battery means no gasoline, no dirty oil changes and no more internal combustion engine. Most new fully electric vehicles can drive 70-100 miles on one charge. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles run on electricity for a certain number of miles, and as their battery runs out of charge, a gasoline powered engine or generator kicks in.

Most EVs are charged at home overnight. Using a 220-volt outlet and charging unit, installed by an electrician, a plug-in hybrid electric recharges in about 100 minutes, and a pure electric vehicle in three to eight hours. A regular 120-volt wall outlet will significantly increase charging times, but is likely sufficient for plug-in hybrids and for fully electric vehicles for some people.

Emissions comparison

In every region of the country, carbon emissions from the electricity sources used to power EVs are lower than the emissions from conventional cars (during a full lifecycle analysis). In some areas such the west and east coasts where there are fewer coal plants, emissions are significantly lower for EVs. And that’s today. As we retire more coal plants and bring online cleaner sources of power like wind and solar, the emissions from electric vehicle charging drop even further.

Electric Buses

Electric buses are less expensive, better for public health and better for the environment. Electric school and transit bus fleets are growing rapidly around the United States and the world. They are better for the environment, but their benefits don't end there:

A good investment: Electric buses are more expensive to purchase, but less expensive to run and maintain. Electric charging is much more economical than fuel, and there is no need for oil changes or engine maintenance. Studies show that over the life of an electric bus operating in Connecticut, the overall cost is less than a dirty fossil fuel burning bus.
Healthier: Fumes from fossil fuel burning vehicles are known to increase asthma, cancer and heart disease rates. Children’s growing lungs are especially at risk for asthma from dirty air in and around school buses. Electric buses have no tailpipes and emit no pollutants.
Clean air equity: Residents of Connecticut’s cities are disproportionally impacted by dirty transit buses. Electric buses are an important step to ensuring that the air our vulnerable communities breathe is clean.

For more information or to get involved in this effort, please contact Jeff Gross at jcgoss8@gmail.com.