Clarence Hayes is a Representative Town Meeting member, and an ardent environmentalist. He says:
I’ve written here before about Westport’s outsized contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.
On a per capita basis, Westport is among the very worst polluters on the planet – higher even than the worst country: Qatar.
Some emissions are direct – driving big cars, heating big houses, flying to Florida. Others are indirect, like our high consumption of goods and services, each with its own carbon footprint.
I’ve also written about the town’s progress in adopting electric vehicles. Below is this year’s update, based on 2024 data, and the last 5 years.
The analysis uses the motor vehicle grand list, EPA data, and a VIN matching tool I built which leverages a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database. I determined the greenhouse gas emissions for every distinct model registered in Westport over 5 years: 34,246 models.
(NOTE: I created this tool, because I was unable to find any government or private tool. I will soon offer it to other towns in the state.)
The GHG rmissions include both “tailpipe CO2” – what comes out of the car — and “upstream” emissions. For an EV, upstream means the emissions produced in generating electricity. For a gas vehicle, it means those produced in extracting, refining and transporting oil-based fuels.
The average EV, which gets 3.6 miles per kwh, generates 80 gCO2e per mile. The average gas car in Westport generates 482 gCO2e per mile – 6 times more.
Between 2022 and 2023, Westport added 275 EVs; between 2023 and 2024, 323. The total is now up to 6.5% of all registered vehicles.
But we have a long way to go. It is easy to notice an EV, and assume they’re everywhere. But one tends to not notice all the non-EVs.
An electric BMW 17.
We still emit 5.3 tons of CO2 per Westporter from cars only. In France, meanwhile, 6 tons per person is emitted from every CO2 source – the total carbon footprint.
I didn’t own an EV myself until recently. My gas car was old, but in good condition.
And building any new vehicle carries a GHG cost. Manufacturing a Tesla Model Y emits 14 tons of CO2 — more than the 9 tons for a comparable BMW X3.
It’s the battery. It takes 16,500 miles of driving to break even in CO2 emissions. Unless you have a gas guzzler, keeping your current gas car is greener than buying anything new.
But my wife recently started a new daily activity in Redding, and one car was no longer enough. So I finally got an EV. I was surprised – it’s great!
For only $15,800, I got a mint condition used 2024 Nissan Leaf with only 5,000 miles on it, and full factory warranties. A 5-seater, I easily fit both my grandkids in the back seat and have plenty of cargo space.
Driving an EV was a revelation. Instant acceleration and engine braking make it fun to drive. It’s low maintenance, and as quick as my 2002 BMW 325i. EVs have caught up. Even the Leaf is terrific.
The market is mature. There are EVs for every type of driver, from minimalist to luxury. You can drive to Stowe or DC on one charge. And EV prices continue to come down.
Due to our high electricity prices, unfortunately, EV fuel costs are only slightly lower than those of a gas car — for example, 8.0¢/mile (at $0.29/kWh and 3.6 miles/kWh) vs. 9.7¢/mile for a gas car getting 32 mpg, at $3.11/gallon.
(Your electricity rate may differ by a cent or two. depending on your usage. Eversource offers a $300 annual credit if you program your EV to charge anytime other than noon to 8 p.m. weekdays.)
Here is a cost comparison for 2025 new cars for a range of vehicle types:
Click on or hover over to enlarge.
EVs match gas cars in size, features and performance.
If you regularly take 400+ mile trips and worry about charging, get a plug-in hybrid. Much of your driving around town will be electric; on long distance trips they get far better mileage. You will at least emit half of what you would with the average straight gas car.
Here are more EV examples – still just a subset of what you can get now:
The 86 worst-polluting cars in Westport emit the same CO2 as the 1,000 cleanest.
The choices of 70 households cancel out the gains made by the 572 others who chose EVs. And they weren’t compromising. These are nice cars: Lucid Air, BMW i4, Genesis G80, Mercedes EQ450, Audi Q4 eTron, etc..
Make your next car electric.
(Questions or interest in the source data? Email Clarence: chayes@westportct.gov)
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