The question generally associated with electric vehicles: do they really help the environment? According to a report by BloombergNEF, the answer is YES. In all cases analyzed, EVs have lower lifecycle emissions than ICE vehicles. However, how much they are ahead depends on their mileage and how clean the energy grid used for charging is.
Lifecycle Emissions: The Breakeven Point
EVs do have huge emissions in manufacturing, mainly due to battery production. However, once on the road, ICE vehicles quickly overtake EVs in emissions from burning fossil fuels. Researchers looked at data in the US, China, Germany, the UK, and Japan. A medium-sized EV driven 250,000 km emits 27–71% less CO2 than a comparable gas-powered vehicle.
For example, an EV in the US, driven on that cleaner grid, will have reached its emissions breakeven point after 41,000 kilometers—about two years’ driving. In China, with a more fossil-fuel-intensive grid, it takes 118,000 kilometers or about ten years to get there.
As renewable energy becomes more widespread, the breakeven point for EVs will shorten. By 2030, it will drop to only one to four years across the studied regions. In the US, a driver may only need to travel 21,000 kilometers—roughly a year’s worth of driving—for an EV to outpace an ICE vehicle.
Charging habits also impact emissions. For instance, an EV charged during the day in California will have half the CO2 emissions compared to one charged at night. Utilities now encourage people to charge at night, but future strategies may revolve around peak renewable energy hours for maximum environmental benefit.
Future Innovations for Greener EVs
Further production improvements can make EVs even more environmentally friendly. Closed-loop battery recycling and the relocation of manufacturing closer to demand centers would further reduce emissions associated with transport.
In short, electric vehicles are one of the key solutions for reducing global emissions. Although their production process is still emission-intensive, improvement in renewable energy and production methods will keep on making EVs cleaner and more sustainable.
Reference- BloombergNEF, Inside EVs, Electrek, Scientific American, Green Car Congress website