Are electric cars bad for the environment?

Answer 1

Anything which consumes energy has an effect on the environment. An automobile which only transports one person is inefficient, unless it is very small. It does not matter where the energy comes from, it is the consumption of energy to move one person from place to place which is bad for the environment. Electric cars normally get their energy from the electrical grid, which is primarily supplied by coal-burning generating plants. Building more coal fired plants to meet the demand for electricity would be bad for the environment.

However, they are better for the environment than internal combustion engine cars burning gasoline, as some electricity is renewably generated (wind, solar, hydro, etc).