Are Electric Cars Really More Environmentally Friendly?

Some people say that buying an electric car is a great way to fight climate change - but if they use electricity that is made by burning fossil fuels, are they really more environmentally friendly than gas powered cars?

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[Nixxxy]

What about including the impact of the carbon footprint of the differing manufacturing processes? And what about the disposal of the electric batteries? Legitimately curious, I’ve seen conflicting information out there

[kanisnealon]

The biggest thing I hear people say in regards to this topic is to just drive your car as long as you can. A lot of the carbon footprint in a car is in the creation, so it's always better to use things longer than to keep buying new things.

[Malidictus]

My takeaway soundbite is this: "Power plants are better at generating power than cars are." That right there is well said.

[juliep.]

“Bigger things dont waste as much energy staying hot”
Well thank you, you flattering devil ;)

[RemusKayne]

Like ive seen others say here. What about the batteries???? Lithium mining is super polluting

[Marconius]

There's also the fact capturing carbon is way easier in a power plant than a car engine.

And even if it wasn't, at least the fumes aren't put out in the middle of the city.

[SolidusVictorium]

Would be interested to hear about the environmental costs of potentially increased e waste with electric cars (eg batteries, circuit boards, etc).

[kathyfann]

I purchased one in California
I don’t have to smog it
I don’t have the oil changes
I don’t have half the maintenance
My insurance is 1/2 as expensive
I love not having to watch the gas prices.
I have a Nissan leaf had a full charge I have somewhere between 235 miles and 260 I’ve actually had 262 miles on a full charge it’s wonderful.
With all the savings I am just excited and my car payment is down. You can’t take my joy I love this little Leaf 🍃 Plus

[Himewna]

would get an electric car if I could AFFORD an electric car
(edit: let me rephrase....I would get an electric car if I could Afford A Car)

[Lumpiluk]

For those wondering:
0:42 average US gas-powered car: 9 km/l ~= 11.1 l / 100 km
0:50 high/low quantiles: 4 km/l = 25 l / 100 km; 14 km/l ~= 7.1 l / 100 km
2:20 Colorado: 20 km/l = 5 l / 100 km
3:10 Paraguay, Iceland: 90 km/l ~= 1.1 l / 100 km

[CanuckMonkey]

I heard some time ago that the most environmental thing to do was to replace your vehicle as infrequently as possible, and that the bulk of the lifetime carbon footprint of any vehicle was in the manufacturing process no matter what power source it uses. I'm still driving my 1995 Nissan Sentra, which even brand new was only about 38 mpg at highway speeds (and I don't maintain it very well and drive predominantly in the city so I'd be surprised if I was getting even 30 mpg). Would it be better for the environment if I were to purchase a new vehicle when my 25-year-old internal combustion clunker still runs?

[ColMcWillis]

What I would like to know is does the harvesting of rare-earth metals used in electric vehicles and the undisclosed discrepancy in lifespan of a vehicle where you are required to purchase another one affect the result. These seem like very large contributing factors that should be addressed as well.

[FreestylerAlbert]

You don't burn batteries, you burn gasoline! Batteries are recyclable!
Less parts in an electric car makes also less carbon footprint.
(way smaller engine, way less faliures.. etc)
No gas transport needed for a gas station... cable to the charging station and works.

[propergander]

According to a study I read recently from a german university, the CO2 break even point of a Tesla model 3 EV relative to a conventional middle class diesel engine happens at 150.000km, assuming that the power was generated only through renewables!

It is more eco friendly to keep on driving your old car until it breaks down completely than it is to scrap or sell your car and get an EV

[yonmoore]

I would recommend engineering explained for more thorough information on this topic with all the calculations and explanations

[TheObsessedGardener]

This confirms my research. And environmental concerns aren't the only reason to buy and EV.

- Virtually zero maintenance
-significantly cheaper to run
-if you buy used you're not contributing to the "new car effect" but making use of existing materials that have already been manufactured into batteries and the car itself.
-zero local air pollution
-capacity to run 100% emission free if charged from fully renewable sources.
-can plug in at home instead of having to find dedicated filling stations if desired.

[Feomather]

But what about the batteries? What is their impact on the environment? During creation, useage and when they are at the end of their lifetime

[galenyoung]

My hybrid plug-in car is recharged using my household solar power system.

[LMacNeill]

The process of using a battery to drive an electric motor to produce motion is *so* much more efficient than the process of burning gasoline inside an internal-combustion engine, even if your electricity-generating relies 100% on fossil fuels, you're still using that energy in a far more efficient manner.

A gallon of gasoline contains the equivalent of 33.7 KWh of electricity. Let's take a Tesla Model 3 long-range rear-wheel drive, for example. Its battery capacity is 75KW. It can travel 325 miles on that 75KW of electricity. That gives it the equivalent efficiency of a gasoline car that gets 130 MPG!!! You simply cannot achieve that with any gasoline-powered engine.

So, yes, the battery itself is made in an environmentally-unfriendly way (but getting cleaner all the time), the car itself (all cars, not just electric ones) are made in environmentally-unfriendly ways (but, again, getting cleaner all the time), but even taking all of this into account, when the pure efficiency of an electric motor vs. a gasoline engine, the electric motor wins every time.

[marktheshark]

Was expecting the environmental impact of Lithium mining, but this works too.