Electric vehicles are becoming more popular each and every year. They offer many benefits over traditional gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. They are cheaper to operate, and their batteries last much longer than those in gas or diesel-powered vehicles.
However, electric vehicles have disadvantages, such as limited range and weight.
1) Electric vehicles use rechargeable batteries that need to be replaced after a certain number of miles or years. The batteries can be recharged at home using a wall outlet or charging station. Most people charge their vehicles overnight.
The battery life of electric vehicles depends on the size of the battery and the amount of power needed to run the vehicle. In regions that depend heavily on conventional electricity generation, electric vehicles would not demonstrate a strong life cycle emissions benefit. This is because most electric cars are charged using electricity produced by fossil fuel-burning power plants.
Thus, when fossil fuels are used to generate electricity for charging electric cars, their CO2 emissions are essentially transferred to EVs rather than the tailpipes. However, electric vehicles can reduce overall emissions, even if fossil fuel is used to generate electricity for charging.
This is because EVs do not emit any CO2 from burning fuel while they’re being driven, and they eliminate the CO2 emissions associated with the manufacture of the electric vehicle’s battery and its components. The use of renewable energy to power charging infrastructure is another way to reduce the carbon footprint of EV charging.
A 2016 life-cycle analysis of electric vehicles conducted by Electrify America, an electric vehicle charging company owned by Volkswagen, showed that an electric car can reduce emissions by 88% compared to the average vehicle over its entire life cycle (including manufacturing, driving, and disposal).
2) Electric vehicles have limited range because they don’t have as much energy stored in their batteries as gas-powered cars do.
A 2016 life-cycle analysis of electric vehicles conducted by Electrify America, an electric vehicle charging company owned by Volkswagen, showed that an electric car can reduce emissions by 88% compared to the average vehicle over its entire life cycle (including manufacturing, driving, and disposal).
3) Emissions from the manufacture of the battery, vehicle, and charging infrastructure also play a role in determining the overall environmental impact of an electric vehicle. According to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, 57% of the lifecycle emissions of a lithium-ion battery come from the manufacturing process.
The main sources of emissions during manufacturing are the production and operation of plants that make the cathodes, anodes, and other components of the battery; the production of solvents and electrolytes that are used to manufacture the batteries; and the production of electricity that powers the manufacturing facilities.
A study by MIT researchers estimated that, between 2007 and 2013, 1,400 megatons of CO2 were released into the atmosphere as a result of manufacturing Li-ion batteries. Another study found that about 2 million tons of CO2 were released into the environment as a result of manufacturing lithium-ion batteries in 2015 alone.
The majority of these emissions came from the production and processing of lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and copper — raw materials that are necessary for the production of lithium-ion batteries.
Lifecycle emissions from recycling Li-ion batteries are estimated to be between 50 and 90% lower than those from manufacturing new batteries. However, only about 5% of the lithium-ion batteries manufactured today are currently being recycled, which means that many of these batteries will end up in landfills at the end of their useful life.
This is of concern because lead and mercury present in these batteries could be released into the environment during the decomposition of the batteries.
A 2018 study found that 95% of lithium-ion batteries end up in landfills, with only a small percentage being recycled or repurposed in some other way. The production of lithium-ion car batteries creates approximately 14 gigatons of carbon emissions each year.
4) Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to CO2 emissions in the United States and around the world.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “the average passenger vehicle emits about 404 grams of CO2 per mile traveled.” Emissions associated with electricity generation and transportation are responsible for more than 60 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. While transportation accounts for only 17 percent of the energy consumed in the U.S., it is responsible for more than 33 percent of the country’s total CO2 emissions.
The transportation sector accounted for the largest share of U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions in 2021. Between 2007 and 2011, the transportation sector was responsible for more than half of the increase in total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.
If all Americans drove one less mile a day, it would save the equivalent of taking about 3 million cars off the road.
Despite seasonal rebounds, overall transportation fuel demand never fully returned to 2019 levels in 2021. In the first two quarters of 2021, fuel demand increased as COVID-19 vaccines became available.
In October 2020, the transportation sector was responsible for the largest increase in U.S. net emissions, accounting for 15% of the total.
Transportation emissions rebounded in 2021 but remained 15% below 2019 levels.
“The largest increase in emissions in 2021 came from the transportation sector, reflecting the high demand for freight transportation of consumer products and a modest recovery of passenger car travel. The transportation sector—which accounts for 31% of net US emissions—experienced the largest decline in GHG emissions in 2020, dropping over 15% (283 million metric tons of CO2e) below 2019 levels.
Written in collaboration with Chester Beard from Salish Sea Consulting
Dennis Watkinson is a founder of the Honda Car Review platform. He devoted his whole life to repairing Honda cars. Now Denis shares his experience and knowledge, thanks to which maintenance and use of Honda automobiles can be a pleasure.