Why Electric Cars Are Better For Environment?

Many experts agree that the electrification of the transportation sector will be vital in our efforts to stem climate change. Electric vehicles (EVs) have been around for more than 120 years. But thanks to incredible technological innovation and advances in recent years, the industry is growing at an unprecedented rate. Research and development brought substantial improvements in battery life and lowered overall manufacturing and purchase costs. With more EVs on the road every year, we take a look at why electric cars are better for the environment than gas-powered ones.

 

How Much Do Electric Vehicles Emit When On The Road?

Electric vehicles offers opportunities for emission savings. This is because, contrary to the manufacturing process, they generate very little emissions over their lifetime, especially when compared to conventional vehicles. Internal combustion (IC) engines operating on fossil fuel oil produce about 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Like lithium for batteries, gasoline to power non-electric cars has to be mined. In this case, however, it is the refinement process once the crude oil has been extracted that is responsible for the majority of emissions, which consists only of greenhouse gases but also methane and nitrous dioxide. And while the argument that oil is going to be extracted for other uses regardless of whether we switch to EVs or not is often brought up, it is undeniable that phasing-out gasoline-powered vehicles is going to reduce the demand and consequently the emissions related to this industry.

While tailpipe emissions from electric vehicles are zero, how much these actually pollute depends on where such vehicles get their electricity from. EVs have a large potential for greenhouse gas emissions reductions when coupled with a low-carbon electricity sector. However, in many countries such as the US, power still derives from coal plants. Consequently, driving electric cars in these regions still has a higher impact than driving in areas with clean sources of energy. Yet, as renewables expand at an incredibly fast rate worldwide, concerns over emissions of EVs during their lifetime significantly decrease.

What About Battery End-of-Life Emissions?


One last aspect that has to be considered when trying to understand if electric cars are better for the environment than combustion engine vehicles has to do with EV battery disposal. As the industry grows, so does the number of used batteries. The fact that not enough of them are being recycled or adequately stored have become increasingly problematic.

According to the IEA, the volume of electric vehicle batteries that will be retired by 2030 nearly equals the current annual battery production. In order to prevent this from becoming a significant environmental liability, the industry needs to come up with effective measures to address such volumes. Just 5% of lithium-ion batteries are being recycled, a 2021 data analysis found, which is highly alarming, considering that more than 90% of cobalt and nickel can be easily removed.

Furthermore, some of the metals contained in EV batteries are highly damaging even in small quantities. Since a large majority of them are disposed of in landfills, leaks of environmental contaminants are quite frequent. Often, these leaks lead to underground fires, which consequently releases more pollutants into the atmosphere. When particles of hazardous metals contained in batteries – like arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, and copper – enter the human respiratory system, they can cause a variety of health problems. Similarly, these toxic metals can contaminate water sources, threatening not only humans but also animal biodiversity.

Given the issues associated with battery end-of-life, some of the world’s key regions are looking at ways to evolve their policy landscape to regulate battery collection and recycling. In 2019, for example, China mandated producer responsibility, holding manufacturers accountable for the disposal and recycling of spent batteries. Similarly, the European Union is working on the Battery Directive that would prohibit the marketing of batteries containing some hazardous substances, regulate collection and recycling as well as set out provisions on labelling of batteries and their removability from equipment. As for the US, the government relies on the Lithium-Ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group led by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) to advise the legislature on EV battery recovery policies.

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