Electric vehicles technically don’t produce any carbon dioxide at all, so could they be the way to reduce or eliminate the harmful emissions the world is struggling with? Let’s clear the air and discuss a few different theories on the subject.

We’ve all heard about the climate crisis, with weather events becoming more extreme and the damage being done to cities and entire countries. Carbon dioxide emissions, which have been increasing dramatically since the Industrial Revolution, are inextricably linked to climate change, but the good news is that we can all do something about it. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions (also known as greenhouse gases) is something we can all do, must do, and electric vehicles are just one way to help save the planet.

In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency says that transportation related to the burning of fossil fuels is responsible for 29 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, transportation is responsible for a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions, with some cities estimating that it accounts for more than half of their emissions problem.

Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch or, in this case, a free ride. Just because electric vehicles don’t have tailpipes doesn’t mean they’re perfectly clean. In fact, electric vehicles generate more emissions during their construction than gasoline-powered cars due to the use of materials that must be mined and other manufacturing issues.