Many state that electric vehicles are the cleaner solution for the environment; however, this is not true. The big difference between electric and gas is the platform. Gas powered vehicles run off the internal combustion engine or “ICE” platform, which uses a mechanical engine as the power source. The only down side of this however, is the exhaust, where gases like Co2 are released, and the claims “bad for the environment” start.
Introduced as the “cleaner” option, the electric vehicle (EV) platform uses one or more electric motors that are directly connected to the wheels, which get power from the main battery. This may sound great due to no exhaust, engine, or gas, but where they miss out on tailpipe emissions, they make up in production. According to the Environmental protection agency (EPA), most electric vehicles utilize a lithium battery, which is gathered through a mine. This results in 15 tons of toxic carbon dioxide released, for every one ton of lithium mined. Compare this to the yearly carbon footprint of an ICE vehicle, and you only get close to five tons of carbon dioxide released per year. This means that the production of lithium is almost double that of the average car.
ICE vehicles also have a lot of requirements as it is to reduce these emissions. Catalytic converters (mounted on the exhaust) filter out the Co2, lessening the amount of harmful gases that are released. Like catalytic converters, there is also use of an EGR valve (Exhaust gas recirculation). This valve allows exhaust gases to get redirected back into the engine to be burnt again, while idling or driving, when unburnt fuel can be present.
So overall, just because electric vehicles have no tailpipe (Exhaust) emissions, they still release almost twice the amount of harmful gases during production, than ICE vehicles do in their exhaust, which is also used to be reburned again.
Mr. Said • Nov 22, 2024 at 11:18 am
Math teacher here….just looking for some clarification on the numbers. According to several web sources, the average amount of lithium in a car battery is about 22lbs. This means that one ton of lithium, which the your article says costs 15 tons of Co2, can supply about 91 cars. So the ratio becomes 15 tons of Co2 gets you 91 EV cars. Whereas with a ICE powered car, according to what you had said, it would only take 3 cars one year to get that 15 tons of Co2. In other words, if the Co2 cost is 15 tons, we can get either 91 EV vehicles or only 3 ICE vehicles. If we take the ratio further, this means that while 1 ICE vehicle gets you 5 tons per year, 1 EV vehicle only gets you 15 / 91 = 0.16 tons of Co2 …and since EV’s only need batteries every 8 years or so, that is even more savings.
What I am not saying is that EV’s are completely worth everything some people claim right now. We don’t have the infrastructure set up to fully maximize what they need, especially in the US. Based on what I have read, the plan to move to more EV’s will, over time (lots of time) pay off for the planet….even if we are not seeing that payoff at this five minutes.
Parker Doty • Nov 26, 2024 at 8:31 am
Hello, Mr. Said. Thank you for responding to my article. I would like to clear some things up, involving information I might have not provided. Yes EVs have “zero” tailpipe emissions, compared to the standard ICE vehicle, but this is not what makes them dirtier. EV production can realase up to 80% more c02, than the production of a ICE vehicle. Looking at numbers, and you wil find that it takes 10 metric tons of c02 to produce a EV, while it only takes 6 metric tons for the ICE. This means that it will take a longer period of time (Varrying), for the EV to match c02 levels that are equivelent to the ICE vehicle. Also, when a EV needs a new battery, (wich I agree is around evrey 8 years) the c02 output would almost be reset, due to the mining/production process being repeated, when creating the new battery. Lastly, Charging a EV, with a coal powerplant as its source, can realase 50% more emissons than what thestandard ICE vehicle can. This is due to more than 80% of our energy, coming from oil or coal, wich also play a big role in emissons.
Next, when looking weight, you will find that EVs weigh up to 30% more than the standard ICE vehicle. This means more drag on the eletric motors, wich can significantly decrease effeciency. The perfect example of this is the new GMC Hummer EV. Weighing in at 9,063 LBS, this massive suv emits 341 grams of c02 per mile. Compare this to the ICE Chevy Malibu, and you will see a smaller 320 grams per mile. This means that the eletric Hummer, is worse for the enviorment, than its ICE counterparts.
Finally, I would argue that Hybrids (HEV/REV) are the better choice for the enviorment. While EVs are always in eletric mode, Hybrids like the F150 Powerboost, have the choice of all ICE, or all EV. This increases efficency/driving range, while also reducing emissons. Studies have found that Hybrids can reduce transportation emissons by up to 30% in the US, and 23% in the EU. So if we want the planet to be better, like you said, Hybrids would be the better option.