Originally Posted by
joshua362
I'd like to see a computation about electric cars with respects to the carbon that must be generated in a power plant somewhere to produce electricity in the first place.
Electric vs. gasoline isn't the whole story. I bought a gas/electric hybrid last year, so the electricity it uses is generated within the car's engine/from braking, not from a power plant. My gas mileage has gone from ~22 MPG to over 45 MPG, meaning I'm using a lot less gasoline and generating fewer emissions. While this option isn't perfect, as an incremental step until fully electric cars are a) cheaper b) need less frequent recharging and c) can be recharged more easily from clean sources, the hybrid works well for me.
The road trip I do most often for work is Philly/DC. For a couple years it was all by Amtrak - until they jacked up the prices, eliminated most discounts and made changing your ticket much more expensive (you'd think they were an airline now!). With the more fuel efficient car, I find I'm driving as often as I take the train now.