Replacing the current fleet of cars with clean, quiet electric cars will result in pollution-free, “green” commutes to downtown offices and suburban shopping malls…right? A new report from the Dog & Lemon Guide says otherwise.

Electric car enthusiasts need to accept, first and foremost, that the electricity used to power these cars often comes from carbon-emitting sources—like coal and natural gas. There is no such thing as a carbon-free vehicle. Instead, what electric vehicles do is move carbon emissions from nearby roads to distant electricity plants.

“The central premise behind the electric car movement—that electric cars will be powered primarily from ‘green’ sources—is essentially wishful thinking,” the authors write. “Electric cars do not stop environmental damage: rather, they tend to merely move it out of sight, from the highways to the power plants.”

But even if they’re not carbon-free, supporters say, electric vehicles are certainly cleaner than their internal combustion counterparts. Not true say the authors when all factors—manufacturing of the car, electricity production and so on—are taken into consideration. The report cites a study in Germany that said in a best-case scenario—20 million electric cars on German roads by 2030—total overall emission reductions would be just 2.4%.

The authors also point out that CO2 emissions will theoretically double when we produce the equivalent energy of one imperial gallon of petrol (4.55 litres) by burning coal in a conventional generation plant. In the end, the authors write, for every ten miles the American electric car owner travels, nearly five of these miles have been powered by coal—with another two powered by natural gas. Nuclear energy accounts for another two miles.

And electric cars will not be getting any “greener” in the near future, as green energy sources still account for a miniscule proportion of production, while carbon-emitting sources of energy like coal will outpace the growth of alternative energy sources in many parts of the world.

In fact, the real push behind electric vehicles is not coming from environmentalists. Instead, it’s a result of car manufacturers looking to tap into generous government subsidies being offered for electric vehicles that’s spurring the market.  

“As sales of conventional vehicles falter due to economic recession and tougher environmental standards, the car and power companies hope to gain government subsidies for electric vehicles in order to maintain sales volumes and to capitalise on these tougher environmental laws,” the authors write. “Many governments have shown themselves to be more than willing to spend taxpayers’ money on what is essentially a bailout of ailing car companies, under the guise of environmental concern.”

Ontarians take note. The McGuinty government plans to ensure that electric vehicles account for one out of every 20 vehicles in the province by 2020. To do so, the government is offering rebates between $4,000 and $10,000 for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles purchased after July 1, 2010. It’s also allowing green vehicle licence plates to use the High Occupancy Vehicle (carpool) lanes, even if there is only one person in the vehicle.

But even those subsides won’t cut it. A recent report says by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences calculated that the average electric car will need as much as $18,000 (U.S.) of subsidies to make it competitive with the average gas car.

Energy Probe is a keen supporter of renewable energy. We believe renewable energy has the ability to diversify our electricity supply, while allowing for more decentralized sources of power for consumers. But we’re not in favour of throwing massive subsides at forms of energy that are not technically or economically feasible.

Read the previous gangrene economy report, "Green jobs: The new prisoner’s dilemma" here.