2 minute read
Journey to the future
Electric cars may seem like a new phenomenon, but they have actually been around for a very long time. In fact, the first electric vehicles (EVs) appeared in the mid 19th century and electric vehicles even held the world land speed record until 1902. This is just one of many misconceptions about electric cars. But if they’re not new, are they really greener than the internal combustion engine? The short answer is yes. Usually. But as always, things aren’t quite that simple. When you drive an electric vehicle (EV), you are not emitting nasty stuff out of the exhaust pipe in the way you do with a petrol or diesel engine.
But the manufacturing of an EV typically results in MORE emissions than for a petrol or diesel car, perhaps as much as 60% higher according to a study based on manufacturing in China (although it may be less in other countries).
There is therefore a “break-even point” for each vehicle, where the carbon dioxide “savings” from the lower emissions are greater than that produced in the manufacturing process. These higher emissions are partly because of the rare metals and minerals required to make an EV battery. This requires lithium, predominantly from Chile and Australia, and cobalt, largely coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mining such minerals produces a lot of CO2.
There have also been question marks about safety and the social impact of some of this mining. Car manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure they choose their suppliers carefully.
The break-even point depends on the individual car, how much you drive it, and what is the source of the electricity. A large heavy EV, only driven rarely, charged from coalproduced electricity (as is often the case in China), would not necessarily be any better than a petrol car.
Hearteningly, here in the UK around 40% of our electricity came from renewable sources in 2020. According to a 2021 study by the International Council on Clean Transport, based on the average European EV driver the total emissions for electric cars are somewhere in the region of 66%-69% less than a petrol car.
So EVs are usually greener than petrol or diesel over the life of the car, but it pays to do your own research before committing your cash. For larger vehicles and other forms of transport such as aeroplanes or shipping, the weight of a battery is more of an issue. Here, it seems likely that hydrogen could be the fuel of choice. Meanwhile, Toyota is still aiming to produce hydrogen fuel cell cars.
Electric and hydrogen powered cars will be a useful weapon in the fight against climate change. However, they can only be a small part of the solution, and their usefulness also depends on us having reliable, green electricity production.
