Singapore gets it right - from Road & Track:
Singapore Government Fines Tesla Model S Owner for Excessive Emissions
By most commonly-held definitions, the Tesla Model S is a zero-emissions vehicle—the all-electric vehicle has no tailpipe, and emits no exhaust while driving. That's not a convincing argument for Singapore's Land Transport Authority, however: The agency hit Singapore's first Tesla Model S owner with a tax of S$15,000 (roughly $10,840), ranking his electric sedan in the dirtiest category of high-pollution automobiles.
Channel NewsAsia brings us the story of Joe Nguyen, who has spent several months trying to import a Model S he purchased in Hong Kong. This being the first time the Land Transport Authority tested a Model S, Mr. Nguyen didn't know exactly what to expect. But he certainly didn't anticipate being fined.
How Singapore rates automobiles:
Singapore's government operates a Carbon Emissions-Based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS) to encourage its citizens to buy low-pollution vehicles. The cleaner the vehicle, the larger the tax rebate; the greater the emissions, the heavier the surcharge. A car that emits less than 95 grams CO2 per kilometer driven is eligible for S$30,000 in rebates (roughly $21,680); a vehicle that emits more than 230 grams CO2 per kilometer gets hit with a S$30,000 tax. Fines and rebates are added to or deducted from Singapore's annual vehicle registration fees; see the full breakdown here.
Some more:
"As for all electric vehicles, a grid emission factor of 0.5 g CO2/Wh was also applied to the electric energy consumption. This is to account for CO2 emissions during the electricity generation process, even if there are no tail-pipe emissions. The equivalent CO2 emission of Mr Nguyen's car was 222g/km, which is in the CEVS surcharge band," the spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia.
Heh - just because there are no emissions at the automobile, this does not eliminate the fact that generating the electricity generates pollution. That 'ole bogyman CO2.
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