About this Project

About this Project

Our project, The Hidden Emissions of Electric Vehicles, examines the sustainability of zero emissions vehicles and highlights barriers to EV adoption and use in California. Through an interactive website and vehicle emissions tool, called Emissions Explorer, we break down how and why EVs still emit, and let people explore how different factors – charging location, vehicle type, and mileage – all impact emissions.

Our Emissions Explorer allows a user to input almost any vehicle (gas, hybrid, or electric) and outputs the lifetime emissions of that vehicle, along with useful context about how that vehicle compares to its peers. We built our emissions model calculations using data from the GREET model, created by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and vehicle emissions and weight data from the EPA. Emissions Explorer models the production, use, and end-of-life emissions for a vehicle, and is the first tool to integrate these calculations into a digestible, consumer-facing product.

The Hidden Emissions of Electric Vehicles and Emissions Explorer, were ideated, designed, and built by three students from the School of Information at UC Berkeley as a capstone project for the Master of Information Management and Systems program.

Team Members