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Letter: Electric cars depend on coal and so aren’t emission-free

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Crews work to install a total of four electric car charging stations at Liberty park in Salt Lake on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. The city is upgrading its six current electric car charging stations and adding more, giving electric car owners a total of 28 city-owned charge ports within city boundaries. The downside for electric car owners is the new stations will eventually allow the city to recoup energy costs by charging a fee that's been on the books but unenforceable previously.

I wonder if those people driving electric cars realize that they are actually contributing to our emissions problem. The electricity that charges the car’s battery is coming from coal-fired generating plants that typically operate at about 30 percent efficiency. So, at least indirectly, electric cars are not emission-free.

Kermit Heid, Salt Lake City

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By Kermit Heid | The Public Forum