According to a team of researchers at the Columbia University Center for Energy, Marine Transportation, and Public Policy, natural gas vehicles are likely more cost effective than electrical vehicles for fighting climate change. This is an important consideration since more than one-quarter of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions are derived from the transportation sector. These emissions could be reduced if electric vehicles and natural gas vehicles were used to replace conventional vehicles.

Factors influencing the team of A.J. Goulding, Yifei Zhang, and Van Hoang were power sources for each type of vehicles and the comparative purchase price of each type of vehicle.

Electric vehicles have zero emissions on the road but may indirectly cause emissions because they are powered by electricity generated by coal-fueled power plants. Natural gas vehicles also have lower greenhouse gas emissions relative to conventional vehicles because natural gas is a cleaner-burning fuel than diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles.

Because the incremental cost of owning an electrical vehicles exceeds that of owning an natural gas vehicles, natural gas vehicles are in fact under many scenarios presently more cost effective at reducing greenhouse gases compared to electrical vehicles, even though electrical vehicles may produce fewer emissions overall. This advantage becomes larger in regions with intensive coal generation or significantly lower natural gas prices.

The researchers’ analysis shows that unless the purchase price of electrical vehicles can be reduced significantly in the short to medium term, it is likely that natural gas vehicles will remain a more cost effective choice in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the entire report HERE.