Reporters who are driving that entire route in electric cars to explain we're joined by the leader of the pack that's reporter David Farris of Ian news an online news site that covers energy and environmental issues David Ferris how you doing doing well good So I WANNA get in just second to wear exactly on this road we've reached you but start with the why would is your team hoping to accomplish with this it's a two month long road trips that right it is two months okay well when interesting interview with electric cars I think they've been Kinda Geeky science project and now we know that automakers are devoting billions of dollars to building these cars and we thought it was the right time to inform ourselves not just what it's like to be in the car not just what it's like to fuel to charge the car but actually how it's GonNa Affect the whole economy manufacturing cities jobs so your team began this whole journey in Texas about Anthony go yellow tag teaming as you go I know exactly I people started through southern states then you turn north you went through Detroit which I'm sure it was fascinating and then you took over Sunday. Where exactly have we found you you're talking to me in Dickinson North Dakota this is a single hardest leg of the trip because North Dakota has less charging less fueling infrastructure than any place in the country and so I've been learning some lessons about how to manage an electric car when there's almost no place to fuel that sounds intriguing any close calls where you were stranded on yes I left Minneapolis on Sunday and I know I'm not GonNa make destination of Fargo when have to stop in this little town fergus falls and I know I have enough battery to get there so I'm going down the road enjoy myself really windy day and going along and I'm noticing that the cushion the difference between lean how many miles the cartels me I can go and the number of miles actually need to go it's narrowing Mike I'm maybe we should use it off sixty five nights falling it's raining and I have no other options because there's just simply unless I begged with someone to plug into their dryer outlet there's nowhere to church and so I finally ended up limping off the interstate into this town of Fergus falls and ease into the brewery which it turns out as one of the only places to chart a brewery wow okay able to charge there and since the charging is slow rats ad to spend three hours at a brewery senator night so now you have the challenge of sobering up before you can get back in myself to only two years I was like you've been under control of what y'all are calculating is how much cleaner electric cars are than gas cars raid because electric vehicles say there's zero emissions but of course the electricity powering them has to be generated and that results in carbon missions what what have you found in terms of how much better for the planet these might be well we've been rigorously calculating the carbon emissions of the charging were doing and that has to do with breath the power mix in that individual state that state uses a lot of coal the emissions are going to be higher if it's a state that uses a lot of hydropower or wind or solar going to be lower in either case it's still significantly Lower Michigan than guests but it does vary a lot I gather that one of the things you've noted as you've been doing strive across North Dakota is signs four electric vehicles that say powered by coal explain this yes the Lignite Energy Council which is the Advocacy Group for North Dakota Cole has embraced electric vehicles as a way to create a market for itself in the future the writing is on