What about overall emissions, including the car and the power plant?

Even today, with about 22% of electricity in the U.S. coming from dirty coal plants, plug-in cars reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and most other pollutants compared with other vehicle types. You don’t need to take our word for it — read the emissions summary of more than 40 studies, analyses, and presentations on this topic. The Union of Concerned Scientists report, Cleaner Cars from Cradle to Grave, also demonstrates that EVs are cleaner than gas cars. EVs also allow you to use 100 percent clean, renewable electricity from sources such as the sun or wind, eliminating greenhouse gas emissions entirely. EVs get cleaner as the electric grid gets cleaner – gas cars only get dirtier.