Coal is awful, but also keep in mind that it’s shipped to centralized locations to be burned.
Gas for cars is shipped to a distribution center, loaded onto trucks that are immensely heavy and require loads of fuel to haul, shipped to a local distribution center, loaded onto trucks, driven somewhere else, pumped into a station, then those trucks drive back, and people often drive out of their way for gas instead of just charging at their destination. (Nobody has a gas station at their house and few desirable stores include gas stations)
It’s entirely possible that this process ends up using more energy than just burning coal.
Gas for cars is shipped to a distribution center, loaded onto trucks that are immensely heavy and require loads of fuel to haul, shipped to a local distribution center, loaded onto trucks, driven somewhere else, pumped into a station, then those trucks drive back, and people often drive out of their way for gas instead of just charging at their destination. (Nobody has a gas station at their house and few desirable stores include gas stations)
It’s entirely possible that this process ends up using more energy than just burning coal.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2020/03/30/yes-electr...