Electric vehicles are environmentally friendly, meaning they produce no tailpipe emissions containing carbon dioxide (CO2). Compare CO2 emissions for conventional and all-electric vehicles below. The average distance driven per year in Newfoundland and Labrador is 18,000 kilometres.

What do all of these kilograms of CO2 mean to you?
There is a lot science required to quantify the impact of the tons of CO2 that come out of your tailpipe and the rest of the tailpipes on our planet. The important thing to note is that the transportation sector in Newfoundland and Labrador represents 34% of provincial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By switching from fossil fuel-burning vehicles to vehicles that are powered by electricity, we can help decarbonize our transportation sector and transition to a low-carbon future.

What is CO2?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. Human activities, including driving gas and diesel-powered vehicles, are adding more CO2 to the atmosphere than our planet is designed to process through its natural cycles. While CO2 emissions come from a variety of natural sources, human-related emissions are responsible for the significant increase that has occurred in the atmosphere over the last 200 years.

Why do CO2 levels matter?
When energy from the sun reaches the Earth, the planet absorbs some of this energy and radiates the rest back to space as heat. The Earth’s surface temperature depends on this balance between incoming and outgoing energy. Increases in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere cause a portion of the heat that normally would radiate away for the planet to be absorbed, re-emitting heat to the lower atmosphere and warming the Earth’s surface. This adds up over time in the form of long-term global warming – it is not observed as a short-term local weather event.

*This tool is only intended to provide an estimate of potential carbon reductions. Actual results will vary. Customers may not realize similar fuel savings or carbon emission reductions. Vehicle data is subject to change without notice. This is based on the current residential electricity rate for customers on Newfoundland’s Island Interconnected System. The default gas price is an average from the last week in the previous quarter. The utilities do not warrant or represent that this data is accurate.