Estimating total emissions across a vehicle’s entire life cycle — from manufacturing to operation and eventual disposal — the research found that only two thirds of Americans live in areas where driving an EV ultimately produces fewer climate emissions than a comparable gasoline-powered or hybrid vehicle.
EVs start off with a slight disadvantage due to the energy-intensive processes used to manufacture batteries. An EV with an 84-mile range, such as the Nissan Leaf or VW e-Golf, are consequently associated with approximately 15 percent higher emissions before a single mile is registered on the odometer.
“For larger, longer-range EVs that travel more than 250 miles per charge, the manufacturing emissions can be as much as 68 percent higher,” the report estimates.
Electricity is generally a much cleaner source of power than gasoline, however significant regional discrepancies arise when comparing generation methods for the energy that ends up in an EVs battery. Driving an EV in a state with a heavy reliance on fossil-fuel power generation relates to higher emissions per kilowatt-hour of electricity.
Combining all of the life-cycle factors, UCS researchers found that EV-related emissions in central states, such as Colorado and Nebraska, are comparable to gasoline cars that achieve 35-36 mpg. At the other end of the spectrum, a higher mix of clean-energy in Upstate New York’s power grid gives local EV drivers a clear advantage with emissions equivalent to a 135-mpg car.
“For all Americans, charging the average new EV produces far fewer global warming pollutants than driving the average new gasoline car,” the study points out (emphasis in original).
Looking at the country as a whole, the study suggests EV emissions are equivalent to a 68-mpg traditional vehicle. With an increasingly ‘clean’ electricity grid and more efficient EVs arriving on the market, the number is expected to grow.
Leave a Reply