5 Arguments on Efficacy of Carbon Footprint Reduction by EVs

An electric vehicle is propelled by using electric motors which are powered by energy stored in batteries.

Recent renaissance in EV manufacturing has taken place, primarily due to the advancements in battery technology as well as the increasing concern about carbon footprint mitigation. The rising fossil fuel costs also helped adoption of EVs. A few state governments have set up tax schemes, subsidies, and varied incentives to drive the penetration of such vehicles into the realm of mass market.

Therefore, there is a view point in auto-industry that given the above facts, do EVs in reality lead to reduction in carbon footprint?

Some of the reasons to support this view point can be enumerated as under:

Reason 1: Battery production facilities themselves cause large emissions.

By 2021, worldwide capacity will exist to build batteries for more than 10 million cars running on 60 kilowatt-hour packs, according to data of Bloomberg. However, most of battery manufacturing will happen in places like China, Thailand, Germany and Poland that rely on non-renewable sources like coal for electricity.

The graphic below depicts a snapshot of European factories where power is still sourced from coal based power plants for the production of Batteries of Electric vehicles.

Some manufacturers have mandated to produce batteries in a more sustainable way. Tesla uses solar power at its Gigafactory for batteries in Nevada, and has similar scope of work for plants in Europe and Shanghai. Chinese firm Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. is also looking to power its future plants with renewable energy sources.

In addition, for battery manufacturing one needs steel, glass and plastics whose processing plants can generate up to 74% more CO2 than creating a conventional vehicle, even if their plants run on non-renewable energy sources.

Reason 2: Battery Charging Power still comes from Fossil Fuels

There is the undeniable point that the power that charges the batteries of EVs needs to be sourced from an origin. Unless, we have dedicated green grid or captive power stations that use renewable energy for power transmission and generation, the odds are that one will utilize the National Grid for the charging of EV’s which may use fossil fuels for power generation.

So one line of thought is that, while having an EV surely lessens roadside discharges, however with increased penetration of EVs leads to higher energy need to charge them.

Unless and until, countries work on having this delta increase in power being sourced from renewable energy, we are pushing the problem of pollution from cities to our hinterlands where the fossil fuel based power plants are located.

Reason 3: Battery Size does matter

In light of the fact that under most Governments view EVs as ‘zero emission’ emitters. In this context, several new EV owners want their vehicles to be large sized, super cars or SUVs thinking that they are not harming the environment.

The fact of the matter is that large EVs with long range require batteries with high energy density which leads to the fact that the more power that they consume for charge, the more pollution they create.

To be environmentally sensitive, the new owners must think of smaller, nimbler cars which with their smaller size and weight will consume lesser energy and have some impact on CO2 abatement.

Building a car battery of large size and weight would lead to release of higher level of CO2, than manufacturing an efficient conventional car even if it is made in a factory powered by fossil fuels.

Reason 4: Lithium Mining and Processing leads to Environmental Concerns

The fourth piece of the issue lies the materials used to manufacture EV batteries. Mining nickel, cobalt and lithium used in these batteries comes at a expense of the nature.

From mining perspective, even if one changes from using cobalt and lithium instead of oil, one does not address any environmental protection issue.

Extracting lithium, can additionally create environmental issues, since ore needs to be crushed and transported to extraction facilities all of which create their own carbon footprints.

Another environmental concern is the disposal of used lithium batteries at the end of their life cycle. It is projected that 11 million tons of old lithium-ion batteries will be discarded in coming 12 years, out of which only 5 per cent of recycling of lithium may be possible.

Reason 5: Particulate Emissions by Tyre and Brakes

The fifth and final idea that a user believes in is that, since EVs don’t have any fumes, they genuinely are ‘zero emissions’ while being driven.

Tragically, this is a misinformation as concerned environmentalists believe, like every other vehicle, electric vehicles deliver contamination from tire and brake dust. According to a report by the European Commission, a large portion of particulate matter is generated through this irrespective whether car is electric or conventional.

Therefore, as is the case in emergence of any new technology that propagates the concept of cleaner, greener environment, there would be debates and counter points about whether such claims are really valid. Also, there are underlying business and vested interests of various organizations and companies in such matters. However, jury still out about the efficacy of EVs in abatement of carbon footprint.

Source:

1. Bloomberg

2. Berylls Strategy Advisors