Electric Miles are Cleaner than Gasoline Miles.  Vehicle miles fueled by electricity emit less CO2 than those fueled by gasoline-even with today's mix of generating resources.  As renewable power increases its share of the electricity portfolio, and to the extent that new nuclear power comes on line, the emissions profile of the U.S. power sector will continue to improve over time; this improvement will directly enhance the emissions benefits of grid enabled vehicles.  This pattern will only accelerate if climate change legislation is enacted and stricter emissions goals are established in the United States.

Finally, to the extent that grid-enabled vehicles (GEVs) are charged overnight using power from baseload nuclear or off-peak renewable resources, their emissions footprint can be nearly eliminated.  Because the vast majority of material in lithium ion batteries is recyclable, the increased use of grid enabled vehicles does not present the United States with additional resource dependency. Particularly when recycling is assumed, global lithium reserves are adequate to support even the most bullish GEV deployment scenarios.