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Is it really more environmentally friendly to drive an electric car?
What is the ecological balance of an electric car?
Recent studies tend to show that, taking the most complete analysis of emissions from manufacture to end-of-life (LCA), electric cars are much less polluting than their combustion counterparts, at least in terms of greenhouse gases (Carbone 4, 2022; Sacchi et al, 2022; International Council on Clean Transportation, 2021...).
This is true for all passenger vehicles, comparing a combustion engine car and a battery-powered electric car on a similar model. We need to break down the various sources of emissions over the vehicle life cycle in order to understand the criticisms levelled at electric cars, and to conclude that electric cars emit less CO2 than combustion-powered cars over their lifetime.
Manufacturing an electric vehicle: a polluting process.
Emissions from electric vehicles are largely due to the manufacturing of the vehicle, and in particular the manufacture of the battery. As its many critics point out, the production of an electric vehicle is indeed more polluting than that of a combustion-powered vehicle; and the more powerful the battery, the greater the emissions linked to its manufacture. By way of comparison, for two similar city cars, the manufacturing phase represents 40gCO2e/km for a gasoline-powered vehicle, compared with almost double that - 77 gCO2e/km - for an electric vehicle (Carbone 4, 2020).
Electric cars are more environmentally friendly to run.
While the electric vehicle loses out in the initial manufacturing phase, this is not the case in the other phases of the life cycle. What makes the electric vehicle particularly interesting from a climate point of view is thevehicle's use phase: a petrol, diesel or other fuel-powered car emits greenhouse gases as soon as the engine is running. These "tailpipe" emissions do not exist at all in the case of electric vehicles. Added to these emissions are those linked to fuel extraction and transport.
Does an electric vehicle emit greenhouse gases when it's on the road?
Things are more complex. The consumption of electricity to drive the vehicle does not emit GHGs. On the other hand, the production of the electricity used to power an electric vehicle itself emits greenhouse gases. But in Europe, and particularly in France, where electricity production emits very little CO2 on average, these emissions are very low, making the use of an electric car a much less carbon-intensive means of transport than a petrol or diesel-powered car.
In the U.S., where electricity production is more carbon-intensive, mainly due to coal combustion, the tipping point for the number of kilometers to be covered for an electric vehicle to be more "ecological" than a gasoline-powered vehicle will be higher than in France.
End-of-life, similar emissions
Under the assumptions made by the most recent studies (Carbone 4, Calculator), emissions at the end of a vehicle's life are relatively similar, and above all much lower than emissions at other stages of the life cycle.
The less polluting electric car: is it true everywhere and all the time?
In view of the significant emissions during the car manufacturing phase, which depend directly on the weight of the car and the power of its battery in the case of electric cars, the comparison between a small gasoline Clio and a Tesla Model X becomes necessary.
Indeed, when you compare all the elements, is it better to take a small gasoline-powered car that doesn't consume much, or a big, powerful 2.5-ton electric SUV? Which emits the least CO2 over its lifetime?
In terms of the overall environmental impact of car manufacture and use, it's difficult to compare the two. As far as climate impact is concerned, in France, the evidence points in the direction of electric vehicles, particularly in the case of a low-carbon electricity mix.
By way of comparison, for one kWh of electricity consumed in France, we will emit 0.05 kCO2e, while in India, where electricity production also depends largely on coal-fired power plants, one kWh consumed will have emitted more than 0.72 kgCO2 (IEA, 2022) .
A large electric SUV starts to be better for the climate than a light petrol E95 (segment B) car after 78,115 km :
Does an electric car only become ecologically "profitable" after 10 years of use?
It all depends on the model. Compared with a combustion-powered car, an electric car is only "profitable" from a climate point of view once a certain number of kilometers have been covered. As to how many kilometers must be driven for the electric vehicle to be more attractive than the internal combustion vehicle, our simulator can answer the question: https://evfootprint.org/
The average mileage of a vehicle at the end of its life is over 170,000 km, so for all vehicles as a whole, the verdict is in favor of electric (Weymar & Finkbeiner, 2016). As Carbone 4 points out, the question may arise in the case of secondary vehicles in a household, which drive significantly less than a main vehicle (Carbone 4, 2022).
In fact, the number of actual kilometers driven that will enable us to pass this milestone is certainly lower, and the electric car is more attractive than in the model we propose. We have made the conservative assumption of an energy mix that does not vary over time, whereas current trajectories project a general decarbonization of the electricity mix, particularly in Europe (McKinsey, 2022).
For an average electric vehicle in Europe, compared with an average internal combustion vehicle, electric becomes more attractive on average after 42,827 km, or just under 5 years (8920 km/year in 2019 on average in France - Statista, 2021).
Are electric cars so clean that we can choose any model with our eyes closed?
Comparing different electric car models, it quickly becomes apparent that larger SUVs (often decried by electric car detractors) do indeed emit far more than smaller models. Our comparator shows that a small electric car emits far less than a larger model:
A light electric vehicle will be "cleaner" from a climate point of view than a light petrol vehicle relatively quickly, whereas a large electric SUV will require a significant number of kilometers to be driven to "pay for itself" in terms of climate.
An electric sedan (segment D) will start to have less impact on the climate than a gasoline-powered city car (segment B) from around 100,000 kilometers onwards. A large SUV, on the other hand, will need almost twice as many kilometers to be less polluting than a light gasoline vehicle.
With a clean vehicle, there's no need to change our habits?
The transition from conventional internal combustion vehicles to vehicles using alternative fuels is the path now being taken by legislators to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, at both national and European level. To this end, it is essential to understand the real reduction in the environmental impact of our vehicles, with the different types of alternative powertrains: electric, but also hybrid, biofuel, hydrogen, and so on.
However, we must also question the way we use our cars, because changing our mode of transport will not be enough of a lever to achieve the impact reduction to which governments committed themselves under the Paris Agreements.
TheInternational Energy Agency (IEA) at the start of the year, and then the major energy suppliers a few weeks ago, have reiterated that sobriety, i.e. reducing our consumption, travel and uses, is necessary to meet the dual challenge of reducing available fossil fuels and limiting climate change. One of the first levers of sobriety is to give preference to low-impact means of transport, such as bicycles, public transport, trains, etc., rather than cars.
In an article with Guillaume Martin, Bon Pote deciphers the advantages of bicycle mobility, and dispels preconceived ideas about this green means of transport as an efficient, low-carbon alternative for short journeys: Cycling is the future of our mobility.
Conclusion: are electric cars really environmentally friendly?
Car use is one of the biggest sources of emissions, both nationally and individually. The objectives set internationally by the Paris agreements and the desire to achieve global carbon neutrality require us to question our habits and the possible alternatives to traditional mobility. In line with the findings of Carbone 4, Transport & Environment and the Paul Scherrer Institute, electric vehicles emit fewer emissions than their combustion counterparts, even in countries with a more carbon-intensive energy mix than France.
Except in the case of secondary vehicles (which drive an average of 3,000 kilometers a year), promoting the use of electric cars rather than gasoline-powered cars is a useful way of reducing emissions. However, this transition raises other societal and geopolitical questions, which Carbone 4 attempts to answer in this comprehensive FAQ: Preconceived ideas about electric cars.
