A pervasive story is that electric vehicles (EVs or BEVs) are actually dirtier than combustion vehicles if charged by a fossil fuel-based electricity grid. A new study reaffirms others that show, at least in the US, EVs have lower lifetime emissions than an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, regardless of the grid mix.
Comparing data on the mix of generation types by ZIP code using data from OpenGrid and eGRID, the researchers were able to create maps and comparisons of the efficiency of ICE, hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and electric vehicles. If you want to compare some specific examples, there’s an interactive chart using the research data at carboncounter.com.
PHEVs can achieve 80-90% of the emissions reductions of a full EV in urban environments, but become less beneficial as distances increase or if drivers choose not to charge the battery. The researchers have extensive breakdowns of the comparisons including total cost to operate the vehicle compared with emissions if you want to look more in the paper. Emissions benefits are particularly noticeable in larger vehicle classes or with drivers who put more miles on their cars.
Although it’s unlikely to change anytime soon, they also note that if the industry trend toward larger and larger vehicles were to be reversed, emissions targets could be hit with much fewer hybrids and EVs at the current grid mix. The advantage of full EVs is that they get cleaner as the grid gets cleaner, unlike combustion vehicles that typically get worse as their emissions systems degrade.
If you’re not ready for an EV, maybe you’d like to reuse a pack for a house battery. If you’re feeling more adventurous, then maybe try out an EV conversion that still needs oil changes?
I’d like to see a study that includes the full lifecycle of the vehicles, from mining metals to manufacture the vehicle, to disposal of the vehicle once it reaches the end of its life. There’s a lot more to a carbon footprint than how much fuel is consumed during use
All I know is that the day Ronald Reagan had Jimmy Carter’s hydronic solar panels removed from the White House roof, the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial got a little more green.
Man you guys are obsessed with that pond
This is an age-old debate that I learned about in industrial meteorology class 40 years ago — the cost/benefit ratios between dispersed source emissions and point source emissions. Back then, the consensus was that point source emissions were worse for the environment — but the electricity economy was largely a coal one and electric cars were few and far between.
That being said, I really doubt the assertions that one is better than the other “regardless of the grid mix.”
I have yet to see an EV that isn’t packed with “smart” bullshit that cannot be turned off without overhauling the whole electrical system. I love electric stuff, but I will never buy a car like that. Make me an EV that’s like a racing drone, where all the parts have standard interfaces and hole patterns. All interchangeable, modular, and replaceable (especially the batteries). I would buy one of those in a heartbeat.