MOSTLY FALSE

Do Electric Vehicles Produce More Carbon Than Gas Cars?

The Claim

Electric vehicles produce more carbon emissions than gasoline-powered cars when you account for manufacturing.
Viral Facebook posts and conservative media, February 2025

Verdict

Manufacturing an EV does produce more emissions than a comparable gas car — primarily from battery production — but over a vehicle's lifetime, EVs emit significantly less CO₂ in nearly every region of the world, including those with coal-heavy grids. The claim cherry-picks manufacturing data and ignores total lifecycle emissions.

Sources