## Study Reveals Significant Greenhouse Gas Reductions from Electric Vehicles Across the US **News Title:** How much do electric vehicles actually cut climate pollution? **Report Provider/Author:** Futurity, citing the University of Michigan **Date/Time Period Covered:** The study analyzes "generic" vehicle versions produced in 2025, representative of new vehicles in the marketplace. The news was published on August 27, 2025. ### Main Findings and Conclusions: A comprehensive new study, described as the most thorough to date, concludes that **choosing a more electrified vehicle significantly reduces drivers' greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of their location within the contiguous United States.** The research, published in the journal *Environmental Science & Technology*, evaluated emissions from a "cradle-to-grave" perspective, encompassing vehicle manufacturing, use, and disposal. The study's key takeaway is that **Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) consistently demonstrate lower lifetime emissions than any other vehicle type in every county across the contiguous US.** This finding is crucial for climate action, as transportation accounts for 28% of greenhouse gas emissions, and reductions are needed to mitigate climate impacts like flooding and wildfires. ### Key Statistics and Metrics: * **ICE Pickup Trucks:** On average, conventional gasoline (ICE) pickup trucks were the highest emitters, producing **486 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per mile.** * **Hybrid Pickup Trucks:** Switching to a hybrid pickup truck would reduce emissions from ICE pickups by **23%.** * **Electric Pickup Trucks:** A fully electric pickup truck represents a **75% drop** in emissions compared to a gasoline pickup. * **BEV Pickup Trucks with Cargo:** A BEV pickup truck carrying **2,500 pounds** still emitted less than **30%** of an ICE pickup with no cargo. * **Compact Sedan BEVs:** Compact sedan BEVs had the lowest emissions overall, at just **81 grams of CO2e per mile**, which is less than **20%** of the per-mile emissions of a gas-powered pickup. * **Lowest Emission BEV:** The lowest emission vehicle class was the compact sedan BEV with the lowest range, **200 miles**. The emissions associated with producing batteries for longer-range vehicles slightly increased their lifetime greenhouse gas contributions. ### Important Recommendations: The study emphasizes two primary recommendations for drivers looking to reduce their emissions: 1. **Electrify your ride:** Transitioning to hybrid or fully electric vehicles is the most impactful step. 2. **Match your vehicle with your needs:** Opt for the smallest vehicle that suits your purposes. For example, a sedan BEV is recommended for solo commuting over a larger vehicle. ### Significant Trends or Changes: * **Industry Commitment to Electrification:** Despite potential headwinds from federal policy (e.g., reduced incentives like the electric vehicle tax credit), the automotive industry, exemplified by Ford's announcement of a more affordable electric vehicle platform, is heavily invested in electrification. Manufacturers recognize EVs as the future of transportation. * **Global Dominance of EVs:** EVs are becoming the dominant powertrain in other parts of the world, and manufacturers are aware of this trend for the US market. ### Notable Risks or Concerns: * **Impact of Battery Production:** The study highlights that the emissions associated with producing batteries for vehicles with longer ranges can increase their overall lifetime greenhouse gas contributions. This underscores the importance of choosing appropriately sized vehicles. ### Material Financial Data: No specific financial data or cost analyses were presented in this news summary. ### Additional Information: * **Online Calculator:** The researchers have developed a free online calculator that allows drivers to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions based on their vehicle, driving habits, and location. * **Study Scope:** The analysis considered 35 different combinations of vehicle class (pickups, sedans, SUVs) and powertrains (conventional internal combustion engines, hybrid electric, plug-in hybrids, and battery electric). * **Location Factors:** Location influences emissions due to temperature effects on vehicle efficiency and range, as well as variations in power grid emissions. * **Funding:** Support for the study came from the State of Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity and the UM Electric Vehicle Center. Researchers from the University of Michigan and Ford contributed to the work.
How much do electric vehicles actually cut climate pollution?
Read original at Futurity →Choosing a more electrified vehicle will reduce drivers’ greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of where they live in the contiguous United States, according to a new study.The analysis is the most comprehensive to date, the authors say, providing drivers with estimates of emissions per mile driven across 35 different combinations of vehicle class and powertrains.
That included conventional gas pickups, hybrid SUVs, and fully electric sedans with dozens of other permutations.In fact, the team created a free online calculator that lets drivers estimate greenhouse gas emissions based on what they drive, how they drive, and where they live.The work appears in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
“Vehicle electrification is a key strategy for climate action. Transportation accounts for 28% of greenhouse gas emissions and we need to reduce those to limit future climate impacts such as flooding, wildfires, and drought events, which are increasing in intensity and frequency,” says Greg Keoleian, senior author of the new study and a professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, or SEAS.
“Our purpose here was to evaluate the cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas reduction from the electrification of vehicles compared with a baseline of gasoline-powered vehicles.”In addition to helping drivers understand their emissions, Keoleian and colleagues say this information will be valuable to the automotive industry and policymakers.
While EVs are driving into headwinds from a federal policy standpoint, the industry is committed to electrification, Keoleian says. As an example, Ford Motor Co. recently announced plans for a more affordable electric vehicle platform in what it called a “Model T moment” for the company.“The government is backing off incentives, like the electric vehicle tax credit, but the original equipment manufacturers are heavily invested and focused on the technology and affordability of EVs,” says Keoleian, who is also a co-director of the UM Center for Sustainable Systems, or CSS.
“EVs are becoming the dominant powertrain in other parts of the world and manufacturers recognize that is the future for the US.”In their “cradle-to-grave” analysis, Keoleian and colleagues studied emissions numbers not just from driving vehicles, but also from making and disposing of them. In doing so, they considered an array of factors: powertrains, vehicle class, driving behavior, and location.
The powertrains included conventional internal combustion engines, hybrid electric, plug-in hybrids, and fully electric, or battery electric. Vehicles with these powertrains are abbreviated ICEV, HEV, PHEV, and BEV, respectively. For vehicle class, they considered pickups, sedans, and sport utility vehicles (they considered “generic” versions of these vehicles produced in 2025, which are representative of new vehicles in the marketplace).
Driving behavior included familiar factors such as highway vs. city driving, but also more modern considerations, like location of the vehicle and how often drivers of PHEVs were driving on battery power vs. gasoline.Location affects emissions in two ways, Keoleian says. First, all vehicles—especially BEVs and PHEVs—use more fuel at lower temperatures and have lower range in locations with lower temperatures.
Second, power grid emissions vary by location, so charging EVs in a county with a cleaner grid would emit less greenhouse gas.In addressing all these variables in a single study, the researchers could make comparisons of emissions from different vehicles in an apples-to-apples way. This enables a detailed comparison of, say, a gasoline-powered pickup in Perry County, Pennsylvania, with a fully electric compact sedan in San Juan County, New Mexico.
In addition to these detailed comparisons, the work also afforded important big-picture takeaways. The study showed for the first time that BEVs have lower emissions over their lifetime than any other vehicle type in every county in the contiguous US. On average, ICE pickup trucks were the highest emitters at 486 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent—a measure of greenhouse gas emissions—per mile.
Switching to a hybrid pickup would reduce that by 23%, while a fully electric pickup represented a 75% drop.Another eye-catching stat came in the team’s analysis of how emissions changed while a pickup was hauling weight. A BEV pickup truck carrying 2,500 pounds still emitted less than 30% of an ICE pickup with no cargo.
Overall, compact sedan EVs had the lowest emissions at just 81 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per mile—less than 20% of the per mile emissions of a gas-powered pickup. The lowest emission vehicle class was the compact sedan BEV with the lowest range, 200 miles. The emissions associated with producing batteries for vehicles with longer ranges bumped up their lifetime greenhouse gas contributions.
That also highlights another big take-away from the study, Keoleian says. Besides electrifying your ride, picking the smallest vehicle that suits your purposes will also reduce emissions.“The thing is really matching your vehicle with your needs,” Keoleian says.“Obviously, if you’re in the trades, you may need a pickup truck.
But you can get a battery electric pickup truck. If you’re just commuting to work by yourself, I’d recommend a sedan BEV instead.”With the team’s online calculator, people who are interested in vehicle emissions can get answers personalized for their situations.Support for the study came from the State of Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity and the UM Electric Vehicle Center.
Additional researchers from the University of Michigan and Ford contributed to the work.Source: University of Michigan
