Particulate matter means tiny bits of acids, chemicals, dust and metal that can lodge deeply into the lungs. Heavily advertised for their "zero" emissions, electric cars actually can expose people to more air pollution than gasoline cars, according to a University of Tennessee study published in the most recent edition of Environmental Science and Technology. But Electric-car buyers also could qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit, and some states also offer credits. http://dangerousmother.com/noelecars.html
When we read your links, we find that it really isn't the car, but the power plant that produced the juice that is the polluter. And with no details given, we cannot have adequate confidence in the calculations and conclusions. In any case, we know coal-fired electricity is dirty. So this story just further illustrates the importance of alternative energy from geothermal, wind, and the need to push advancement of solar to bring down the cost.
'A chicken in every pot...a Volt in every garage'. (windmills and solar panels = no power grid...so that Volt will be a fixed part of that garage)
Seriously? Why waste time on a part time novelty power source? No matter what, your going to need an expensive dual system. For the cost of that dual system you can build a clean modern Nuclear Power Plant that will make power 24/4 regardless of climate or weather conditions. Note: The three Nuclear Power Plants that have had problems in the last 30 years Three Mile Island was built in 1974, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant 1970 and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant 1967. Primitive technology compared to today.
Yet it is not the cars themselves that cause this, it is merely the back-end choice of electrical provider. Moving to an all-electric infrastructure would allow for reductions in pollution levels through changes in the electrical production infrastructure.
