Is your electric car really better for the environment?

 So you want to buy an electric car. Most people make the change from internal combustion to all-electric because they want to save money on gas, but also because they want to do their part in keeping our planet cleaner. But are electric cars really better for the environment? Unfortunately, the answer isn't quite as clear-cut as you'd think. Our N Charlotte Toyota specialists are here to explain the ins and outs of electric cars and the environment.

Toyota of N Charlotte can help you decide if your electric car is better for the environment 

The answer isn't as simple as we'd like it to be - it hinges on batteries and local/non-local emissions. Toyota of N Charlotte is here to explain the intricacies of whether or not electric cars are really better for the environment so you can better understand whether or not you should put one in the driveway. 

Let's talk about the batteries in electric cars first. N Charlotte Toyota EVs - and all other electric vehicles - use lithium-ion batteries. Production of these batteries creates a lot of harmful emissions, which means overall, your EV is not as clean as you think. Additionally, these batteries can't be disposed of in landfills or recycled in a traditional recycling facility, so that poses a problem in the feature. As demand increases, what happens to the old batteries that are no longer in use? 

Another issue in the question of whether or not electric cars are good for the environment lies in local and non-local emissions. Here's what our N Charlotte Toyota specialists have to say about it. 

• Local emissions are the ones produced locally - literally, the ones coming out of your N Charlotte Toyota's tailpipe. Obviously, internal combustion cars produce these. Electric cars, on the other hand, do not. So on the local front, electric cars are better for the environment. 
• Non-local emissions, on the other hand, are a little trickier. Your car doesn't use gas; it runs on electricity, right? But how is that electricity produced? If your electricity comes from solar, wind, or hydropower, then it doesn't put off many (if any) emissions and is pretty clean, so in turn, your EV is too. However, if your electricity comes from fossil fuels, it's not clean - creating that electricity produces quite a few emissions. 

Learn more about EVs at our dealership today 

So is your electric car as clean as you think? It's worth doing the research before you take the high dive into the world of EVs. And as always, if you have questions, Toyota of N Charlotte can help. We're open seven days a week at (704) 875-9199 and you can visit us at 13429 Statesville Road. We're just off I-77 at exit 23 in Huntersville.