The environmental benefit of electric cars is that they don’t use petroleum, or in the case of hybrids they use significantly less petroleum. As the demand for fully electric cars continues to rise, some people have claimed that those cars will cause an unbearable strain on power grids across the country.


The thing is, this claim is nonsense. New research shows that by 2017, electric cars would account for about .14% of all US electricity use. It’s possible that they might increase strain on the grid at certain times, like early evening when people are charging their cars after work. But that’s the same time that people are opening and closing refrigerators, using electric ranges, watching television, and turning lights on all over the house.

If you think about it though, when people aren’t at home using electricity, they’re at work or school doing the same thing. Working at a computer for 8 hours a day uses electricity too.

So if you have, or intend to purchase, an electric car, put some thought into when you’ll charge it. If you can charge it while you’re at work, that might be best, since it will likely be an even smaller portion of the electricity running the office lights, copiers, and so on. Of course, this requires your employer to provide charging stations, which could be a benefit worth bringing up, if enough of your co-workers drive electric cars.

If you have the charge it at home, there could be a legitimate concern that it would increase your own electricity bill. Consider planning your energy use to compensate. You don’t need to be in more than one room at a time, so don’t leave lights on, or the TV running and so forth. If you can rely on natural light. Consider charging your car while you sleep, so it’s not using electricity at the same time as the TV, the stove, and so forth.

With a little thought, you can invest in an electric car to help the environment without hurting your wallet.