Are there really zero carbon vehicles?

We are gradually becoming familiar with "zero emission electric vehicles" such as Tesla's, the BMW i3 and the Nissan Leaf. They sell the zero emission image and generally the idea of ​​a cleaner, better future. However, if you look at the process of creating these cars from manufacture to eventual disposal, how many lifelong emissions do they actually release? There are three parts to this process:

  • Production: How many emissions are released during vehicle production? This includes all emissions from suppliers for production, mining, delivery and packaging of parts.
  • Vehicle use: How many tons of CO 2 are emitted in the burning of fuel compared to the amount emitted in electricity generation for an electric car?
  • Vehicle Disposal: How many emissions are spent during vehicle disposal?

Here is a short review for you to really understand how much cleaner an electric car is. Let's take a deeper look:

Production

Let's start with an illustrative example of Tesla's battery production facilities and the processes involved in assembling them. The IVL, the Swedish Environment Institute, presented a report describing the potential carbon impact of battery production. It shows that this gives rise to 150-200 kilograms of CO 2 equivalent per kilowatt hour of produced battery. Tesla Model S, for example, has a 100 kWh battery, which means that when someone buys the car, it is already taking home a battery that has created an average of 17.5 tons of CO 2 in its production process.

According to The Guardian, a midsize car spends 17 tons of CO 2 during the production process. This number is similar to that of an electric car, not including the battery. However, electric cars need to be lightweight, which means they include many high performance metals. Other rare metals are scattered throughout the car, especially the magnets that are in everything from headlights to on-board electronics. So while a traditional car spends just 17 tons of CO 2, an electric car spends a total of 34.5 - a result of 17.5 on the battery and 17 more on the rest of the components.

co2 emission

Vehicle Usage

It is true that an electric car has "zero emissions". But where does this electricity come from? In the US, only 30% of electricity comes from renewable sources such as hydroelectric, nuclear and solar. So electric cars make little difference because instead of burning fuel in the car, it is burning fuel, natural gas or coal to create that electricity. Considering US electricity sources, Union of Concerned Scientists has reached the numbers below:

annual use

In short, a traditional car creates 3 times more CO 2 over its lifetime, but still generates fewer emissions than the electric car when emissions are included with its manufacture.

Discard

Disposal is part recycling and waste management. Thus, emissions from waste disposal represent less than 1% of vehicle lifetime emissions, ranging from 0.3 tonnes for electric cars (assuming responsible battery recycling) and 0.15 tonnes for a traditional car.

In total, electric cars create fewer emissions when ready, but release much more CO 2 into their production. You also end up shifting from oil to cobalt and lithium, which are the main components of batteries and have a very dirty mining process.

co2 burning

You need to use an electric car at least 3.8 years to actually create less emissions than a traditional model. That said, battery technology is accelerating a lot and is expected to double in power over the next 7-8 years, according to the Liberum bank. Still, there are lightweight traditional cars that have lower lifetime emissions than some electric cars. For example, 500 kg cars, such as the French microcar Ligier and the "kei car" from Japan.

So if you really want to create fewer emissions until battery technology is improved, the best thing to do for now is to use a lighter car!

* Via advisory