A few weeks ago, in an effort to prove that they continue to be the dimmest bulb in the chandelier, Edmunds felt the need to do a story that claimed that the Chevrolet Volt is not an electric car, but a hybrid. They are wrong, of course (see link to that story below).
Well now some auto media outlets, in an effort to show that they can be every bit as dim*, are trying to dispute Nissan's claim that the new Leaf is a ZERO emissions vehicle. The accusation is based upon the argument that in order to make the electricity to power the Leaf that "bad" fuel generating sources may be used; such as coal.
While it is accurate to say that electrical power is often created by non-green resources, it is a gross distortion to say that the Leaf is not a ZERO emissions vehicle. Just because a worker on the Nissan assembly line hit his wife, you wouldn't say that the Nissan Leaf is a wife-beater car. The Nissan Leaf does not have any engine emissions - it does not emit any of the gases or particulates that are associated with typical internal combustion engines. It does not even emit the clear water that is emitted by a hydrogen-powered car. It has no emissions. Since "NO" can also be displayed as the numerical value zero, it has zero (0) emissions. Consequently it is a "ZERO EMISSIONS CAR." It is a zero-emissions electric car. The Chevy Volt is a not-zero-emissions electric car because it can utilize a small internal combustion engine (that does emit gases) to charge its batteries and power it electric engine (however, it is not a hybrid).
