Looking at carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, the studys authors point out that passenger vehicles make up a relatively small share of total emissions — only 20 percent of all carbon dioxide — so even if we all jumped into a BMW i8, that wouldnt by itself fix the problem of air pollution. Moreover, the research reiterates the perennial complaint about electric cars: they nullify the pollutants coming out of the car itself, but also increase pollution from power plants that have to produce their energy. Produced by North Carolina State University, this study is based on modelling the gas emission patterns over the next 40 years while altering energy system variables like oil prices and battery cost. At its most optimistic, it suggests that by 2050 some 40 percent of cars in the US would be either hybrids or entirely electric, however even then the researchers do not see a noticeable reduction compared to even 0% EDV deployment.