Despite its strict tailpipe emission standards, California is still the state with the dirtiest air due to its geography that traps pollution and the fact that it is the state with the largest number of cars on the road. A new report by the American Lung Association states that if three-quarters of California’s cars were electric by 2025, it would potentially reduce the incidence of asthma attacks and pollution-linked chronic lung illnesses by up to 70 percent.
According to ALA-California’s Bonnie Holmes-Gen, the heart of this issue is that “right now about 9,000 people die every year from premature deaths related to air pollution.” Reducing the number of polluting vehicles on California’s roads could have a dramatic impact on that number, says the ALA, not only improving the health and quality of life of all Californians, but even saving lives.
Via The Green Optimistic
The article is about ZEV vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf or even the Tesla Roadster. The Volt is not a ZEV, it is rated a ULEV, mainly because IT IS NOT AN EV. It is a plug-in hybrid.
I see that GM marketing has apparently succeeding in convincing you that the Volt is an electric car. It is no more an electric car than the Prius is. If it has a gas engine as part of it’s motive force, then it is a hybrid. Just because you can drive sometimes in pure electric mode doesn’t make it an EV. After all, I can drive my Ford Escape Hybrid in pure EV mode, but nobody would ever call it an EV.
Apparently the Lung Association did not consult with the California Air Resources Board; CARB has determined that a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle like the Chevy Volt will generate 20 times more CO and also more NOx and mor NMOG than a non-plug-in Toyota Prius. Scroll down to the bottom of this page:http://www.cleancaroptions.com/html/air_pollution_results.html to see the CARB graph comparing local emissions of the Volt and the Prius.