They may smell a little cleaner, but electric cars are fraught with hidden problems, especially in California.
Because of the unique way in which energy bills are calculated,
A new study shows that a car like a Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt would increase household electrical use by sixty percent.
Cheaper alternatives include the Cobalt and Prius, which use gas and hybrid technology to reduce the need to plug in.
Of course, there's no such thing as an environmentally-friendly car. Even gas and electric vehicles require electricity generated through un-clean methods, and simply shift the pollution to someplace far away. Cars also require extensive Earth-killing tar and asphalt, which harms the ground and contributes to climate change by trapping heat. The manufacturing process for cars is resource-intensive, and electric batteries are require particularly toxic materials.
Tens of thousands of Americans are killed in car crashes every year.
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Researchers offered several suggestions to reduce the costs. California could reduce energy rates, but that would result in increased energy production from dirty facilities that pollute the air and water.
The state might also consider creating special meters that bill cars separately from regular household usage. Some power companies are already investigating such measures.
For now, to avoid the higher fees, customers are advised to charge their cars at night.
