Coal Powered Cars

Is it better to run a car on coal or gas? It isn't usually put that way. Usually we ask if a plug-in electric car is better than a gas powered car. When its asked that way it seems a lot simpler, and in California, it is (relatively) simple. Only 1% of our total electric power is from Coal, and about 49% is from gas.

- data courtesy the Energy Information Administration

Questions about all those other states, how you deliver the energy and how efficient the cars are and how you measure it all, well, that is when it gets complicated enough that you need a few days, a lot of experts and Google.

Today and tomorrow, the Brookings Institution is sponsoring Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington? They will be posting the sessions. I look forward to watching them.