Are electric vehicles better for the environment? That is a question many of us might keep asking as we think about protecting the earth. Issues like climate change make it imperative to think about reducing car pollution.
But understanding all that information is pretty hard. Don't worry! This article is going to help. We are going to talk about electric cars and whether an electric car is good for the environment. You will have a clear idea at the end of whether you should go for an electric car or not.
Well, how do electric cars really impact? Should you be curious, keep on reading!
Are Electric Cars Greener than Fossil Fuel Powered Cars?
As you all know, cars run by fossil fuels have been the order of the day for decades, but then the fact remains that they do produce harmful emissions into the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide (CO2) which in a big way contributes to global warming and pollution.
On the other hand, electric cars are driven by electricity which may be generated through renewable sources such as solar or wind. That would mean zero tailpipe emissions therefore minimal air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
But the environmental benefits of electric cars also depend on where the electricity comes from. If that's coal-fired power stations, the overall impact could be much, much less.
However, studies have shown that even with the consideration of gases from electricity generation, the greenhouse gases produced by an electric car are significantly lower than those produced by a conventional gasoline-powered car in its whole lifetime.
So electric cars cannot be green, depending on the source of electricity, but they certainly do provide a greener means in comparison to traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
Now you must be wondering about the overall emissions on our planet. So let's discuss whether electric vehicles decrease overall emissions or not.
Do Electric Vehicles Decrease Overall Emissions?
Well yes, electric vehicles generally decrease overall emissions compared to traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
While it's true that EVs still produce emissions indirectly through the generation of electricity, they typically emit significantly fewer greenhouse gases and pollutants than gasoline or diesel vehicles.
This reduction in emissions occurs for several reasons:
- Zero Tailpipe Emissions: EVs release nothing in terms of tailpipe emissions and therefore do not emit pollution like carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere as ICE vehicles do.
- Efficiency of Electric Motors: The electric motors in the EV are also more efficient in their operation compared to the ICE. They tend to change a higher percentage of energy contained in the battery into motion, meaning less energy waste and lower emissions per mile traveled.
- Cleaner Sources of Electricity: With time, there is increasing use of renewable sources of electricity, including wind, solar, and hydroelectric power. This will further decrease the carbon footprint left over from the life cycle of an electric vehicle.
- Lifecycle Emissions: Indeed, research has proved that compared to conventional vehicles, EVs have lower lifecycle emissions, even when these are considered together with emissions from battery manufacture and electricity generation, with the evidence pointing in the direction that lifecycle emissions from electric vehicles will still be lower as renewable energy uptake gets a boost in the grid mix.
In short, although not emission-free, EVs do minimize greenhouse gases and air pollutant emissions significantly, thus helping to curb air pollution and climate change.
We have talked about how electric vehicles assist with emissions, but what about the car manufacturing process?
As said above, electric vehicles decrease overall emissions by not contributing directly into the air depending on their energy resource, but what about their manufacturing process? Let's discuss it.
How Eco-Friendly Is the Process of Car Manufacturing?
In the main stage of the car manufacturing process, one passes through the extraction of raw materials, making of components, their assembly, painting, and, finally, transportation.
Emissions will be there and they will differ depending on the type and the origin of the materials used in the process, the technologies applied, the methods of production in question, as well as the extent and mode of transportation.
A 2021 study by Transport & Environment (T&E) study states that average life cycle emissions from a mid-sized EV in the U.S. add up to 60-68% less than that of a similar gasoline car. Alternatively, in the study, the production emissions of a car are shown to be at about 36% higher for an EV than for a gasoline car, primarily due to the battery manufacture.
An electric vehicle that requires the most energy and emissions is the battery. The battery is made by mining and processing metals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, which have very high environmental and social costs attached to them. The process of processing and fabricating the battery equally requires huge amounts of electricity, though from an energy source that could either be from fossil fuels or renewable energies.
The T&E study estimated that battery production contributes to about 23% of the total life cycle emissions of an EV in the U.S.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that the production emissions of an EV may be reduced by using more efficient and cleaner technologies in production, sourcing from low-impact regions, as well as increasing the share of renewable electricity in the grid, and recycling or reusing batteries at the end of life.
On top of this, lower operating emissions across the life of an EV have the potential to offset such production emissions.
A study by T&E indicates that an electric car in the U.S. will have life cycle emissions at about 75% lower than that of a gasoline car by 2030.
So, the procedure of car manufacturing is not so eco-friendly in any kind of vehicle but more in the case of EVs than in the case of conventional vehicles in the U.S. market. An EV emits higher emissions during production than gasoline cars, but the lower operating emissions over the lifetime compensate for that.
And the environmental aspect of EVs is going to be further bettered with the adoption of more sustainable ways in the production and application of EVs. So, the only biggest problem with the electric vehicle manufacturing industry is battery production. You may now think, in this regard, whether these batteries are recycled.
Let's discuss this in detail.
Are Electric Car Batteries Recycled?
Yes, the battery of an electric car can be recycled. As has been described before, an electric car battery includes lithium-ion cells that have different kinds of metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminum. These metals are of high value and easily get recovered for recycling for several other purposes.
Recycling electric car batteries helps save valuable resources, reduces the requirement of fresh material mining, and saves the environment by avoiding the entrance of health hazardous substances into landfills.
Is Charging Environment-Friendly for an EV?
The environmental impact of EVs is highly dependent on how the electricity that fuels them is generated. Wherever renewable sources of energy, such as solar, wind, or hydropower, feature prominently, the charging of EVs can cause a great reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Elsewhere, including parts of the world where there is heavy reliance on coal or natural gas to generate electricity, the impact of charging an electric vehicle might be equivalent, or a little lower, compared with driving a conventional car.
Therefore, the eco-friendliness of charging an EV varies across localities and at different periods.
Final Words
Electric vehicles are far better than conventional cars in terms of environmental impacts. However, they are not without their challenges. Though electric vehicles do bring along with them benefits in the form of a drastic cut down on emissions and air pollution, yet there remain grey areas.
The production of batteries and sourcing materials for producing electric vehicles are still environmental concerns that need to be addressed.