[montalbano]

The CO2 output to build and ship the cars is amortised over the first few years of the car's use so unless the car is destroyed in a crash before that time, there is a significant net CO2 benefit.

My supplier (United Kingdom based) provides 100% renewable electricity. I'm sure there are plenty of other countries (where Tesla is on sale) that can provide energy generated in a more efficient way than internal combustion.

It isn't perfect but it's the lesser evil when compared to combustion engines.

[Doxin]

Not to mention that a big-ass power plant burning gas (or coal or some other fuel) is going to be wildly more efficient than the relatively tiny engine in your car. Economies of scale apply to CO2 output too, so running an electric car on not-green energy is still better than running an ICE car.

[londons_explore]

'wildly more efficient' is probably an overestimate. The worst coal plants have about the same efficiency as a car engine, and the best natural gas plants have ~double the efficiency.

[tonyedgecombe]

http://www.carboncounter.com lets you play with various options. ICE vehicles only look better if you compare the smallest petrol vehicle to the largest EV.

[imtringued]

I like how that graph limited the price per gallon to $6.5. A few years ago the price per gallon in Germany was higher than that. Today it is around $6.3.

[tonyedgecombe]

Yes, it would be nice to have a European version.