No, electric vehicles are not killing people. They are among the most effective means for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector and their associated impacts to human health. I’m not asking you to believe me, but please believe Princeton’s own researchers. In every pathway modeled in a comprehensive study to achieve net-zero U.S. emissions by 2050, electric vehicles feature prominently (https://acee.princeton.edu/rapidswitch/projects/net-zero-america-project/ [7]). Furthermore, because internal combustion vehicles convert only ~30 percent of input energy to useful motion, a switch to EVs (which convert ~80 percent) will result in less, not more, energy consumption. Let’s not conflate energy with electricity!

Make no mistake, this is a bad faith attack, and it is important to place it in context; Professor Hayden Smith is a member of a group (CO2 Coalition) that has taken money from fossil fuel companies including Peabody Coal to sow doubt in proven climate solutions. Professor Smith: We are already facing an uphill battle, but please sir don’t make it more difficult than it needs to be by misinforming Princeton alumni.