Enter a ZIP code. This looks up the actual power‑plant mix that ZIP's electric grid runs on (EPA eGRID) and compares it to a gasoline car, in pounds of CO₂ per mile driven. No averages standing in for your grid — your grid.
lb CO₂/mile = (grid CO₂ rate in lb/MWh ÷ 1000) ÷ (miles per kWh), optionally grossed up for transmission & distribution losses (delivered rate = generation rate ÷ (1 − loss%)).
The grid CO₂ rate comes from the EPA eGRID2023 subregion your ZIP code sits in — a "output emission rate" measured in pounds of CO₂ per megawatt-hour of electricity actually generated on that grid, based on the real mix of coal, gas, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, etc. feeding it. ZIP-to-subregion matching uses EPA's own Power Profiler ZIP crosswalk. A small number of ZIP codes are served by more than one utility/subregion; in those cases the predominant utility for that ZIP is used.
lb CO₂/mile = 19.59 ÷ mpg, using the EPA/DOE figure of 19.59 lb CO₂ emitted per gallon of gasoline burned (8,887 g CO₂/gallon).
lb CO₂/year = lb CO₂/mile × annual miles. The default of 10,917 miles/year is the U.S. average vehicle miles traveled per vehicle (FHWA Highway Statistics 2022, Table VM‑1) — the same figure EPA uses in its own GHG Equivalencies Calculator to annualize per-mile vehicle emissions. It's an average, not a true median (a clean nationally-published median isn't available), so treat it as a reasonable typical value and swap in your own mileage for a more personal number. Annual totals are also shown in short tons (2,000 lb) alongside pounds, since the pound figures get large fast.
EV: (annual miles ÷ mi/kWh) × $/kWh and Gas: (annual miles ÷ mpg) × $/gallon. The rate fields auto-fill from your matched ZIP's state — residential electricity price (EIA data via NEADA, August 2025) and regular-grade gasoline price (AAA state average, July 2026) — but both are editable if you know your actual utility rate or local pump price. These are averages for an entire state, so an actual bill or local price can differ.
annual tons CO₂ × $/ton DAC cost. This estimates what it would cost to pay someone to pull that year's tailpipe/generation CO₂ back out of the atmosphere and store it permanently (geologically), rather than a cheaper carbon offset that may not durably remove anything. Public 2025–2026 estimates for commercial DAC-plus-storage contracts range roughly $400–$1,000+/ton CO₂ (older, small-scale plants have run as high as $1,000–$1,300/ton; industry targets of $100–$200/ton are aspirational, not current reality) — the default of $600/ton sits in the middle of that range, and the field is editable so you can test the sensitivity. Nobody is actually paying this bill today; it's a way to put a real number on what "carbon neutral" driving would cost if taken literally.
This page runs entirely client-side — your ZIP code is never sent anywhere.