The California startup Prometheus Fuels is one of many efforts aiming to scale up a process that can sound remarkably simple: “We remove CO2 from the air and turn it into gasoline.” The process, which has in recent years seemed alternately like a Holy Grail or a red herring for the oil and gas industry, has already been achieved. But... Gasoline from solar and wind power: Zero-carbon doesn’t assure clean or efficient
The California startup Prometheus Fuels is one of many efforts aiming to scale up a process that can sound remarkably simple: “We remove CO2 from the air and turn it into gasoline.” The process, which has in recent years seemed alternately like a Holy Grail or a red herring for the oil and gas industry, has already been achieved. But... 
Hybrid technology isn’t just for cars or trucks. Anywhere there’s waste heat or kinetic energy that can be recaptured—which means virtually every mode of transportation—there’s an opportunity for hybrid tech to make the entire mission more fuel-efficient. Such is also the case for big passenger jets. According to the... 
![Electric-car wells-to-wheels emission equivalencies in MPG, Mar 2018 [Union of Concerned Scientists]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/electric-car-wells-to-wheels-emission-equivalencies-in-mpg-mar-2018-union-of-concerned-scientists_100646029_t.gif)
More good news about electric cars in the U.S.: the emissions associated with the electricity used to charge them have fallen. Again. Based on the latest data on powerplant emissions from the EPA, an electric car on the road in the U.S. now has average emissions as low as an 80-mpg car. DON'T MISS: Electric cars cleaner than any gas-only car for... ![Greenhouse-gas emissions of battery-electric vehicles globally in MPG equivalent [U of Michigan TRI]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/greenhouse-gas-emissions-of-battery-electric-vehicles-globally-in-mpg-equivalent-u-of-michigan-tri_100631743_t.gif)
When electric cars first arrived in 2011, it was a reasonable question: Aren't you just shifting emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack? The answer is yes, but the carbon emissions per mile of an electric car—properly measured on a wells-to-wheels basis—are virtually always lower than those of a gasoline or diesel car. It's not... 
Mazda is a tiny carmaker on a global scale, producing just 1.6 million vehicles a year. It competes with four companies (GM, Nissan-Renault, Toyota, and VW Group) that each sell around 10 million a year, as well as numerous other smaller makers still larger than Mazda. In a world where reducing the carbon emissions from road vehicles is... 
Although electric cars do not emit exhaust, it's widely recognized that the electricity to charge their batteries often still comes from fossil fuels. This has led to the scrutiny of electric cars to determine whether their overall "wells-to-wheels" carbon footprints exceed those of regular vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines. For most... 
Electric vehicles shouldn't be considered all-out carbon footprint saviors, but they can legitimately be viewed as the great minimizers. The benefits of electric vehicles over those with internal-combustion engines are vast, but a strange new study is making rounds that claims electric cars are worse for climate-change emissions. The study... ![Electric-car wells-to-wheels emission equivalencies in MPG, May 2017 [Union of Concerned Scientists]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/electric-car-wells-to-wheels-emission-equivalencies-in-mpg-may-2017-union-of-concerned-scientists_100608699_t.gif)
Electric cars have no tailpipe emissions when running. But unless they're charged entirely on renewable energy—still statistically unlikely today—there are emissions associated with generating the electricity used to charge their batteries. For several years now, rigorous "wells-to-wheels" analyses of the carbon-dioxide emissions... ![Electric cars dominate U.S. climate-friendly vehicles [data: U.S. EIA; map: Climate Central]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/electric-cars-dominate-u-s-climate-friendly-vehicles-data-u-s-eia-map-climate-central_100608171_t.gif)
The question is a reasonable one: electric cars may be zero-emission, but what about the electricity to recharge them? While renewable energy is growing globally, burning fossil fuels is still the source of most electric power today. The good news is that in most areas of the U.S., the "wells to wheels" carbon-dioxide emissions associated with...