Start Making Sense

For immediate release: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles Far Better Choice Than Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Projects, Say Carnegie Mellon Experts

Their conclusion:

A major program to subsidize coal-to-liquids makes no sense, since the goals of energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved at lower cost through plug-in hybrid vehicles charged with electricity from reduced carbon sources.

And furthermore:

Even the most carbon-intensive scenario using plug-in hybrids has
substantially less greenhouse gas emissions than the best
possible coal-to-liquids case.

In other words, better to just make electricity with coal and run cars off that electricity than to turn coal into fuel at enormous expense and with greatly increased carbon emissions. Better still, make the electricity from less carbon-intensive sources in the first place.

(via Gristmill)