The impact of electric vehicles on the environment

The transport sector is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions... Its share in CO2 emissions accounts for more than 25% worldwide and about 40% in France.

Therefore, the importance attached to e-mobility is a critical issue in the ecological transition; therefore it is also a problem in the fight against climate change. Many people question the cleanliness of electric vehicles, saying they are not 100% clean. Here is an enlarged view of the environmental impact of electric vehicles.

Impact of electric vehicles and thermal imagers on the environment

Private cars, electric or thermal, have they all affect the environment. However, the benefits of electric vehicles in reducing environmental pollution are now widely recognized and proven.

Indeed, according to a study by the Fondation pour la Nature et l'Homme and the European Climate Fund Electric vehicle on the road to energy transition in France, the impact of an electric vehicle on climate change throughout its entire life cycle in France is 2-3 times lower than thermal imagers.

To better understand the impact of electric vehicles on the environment; it is necessary to take into account the different phases of their life cycle.

The table above is taken from the study. Electric vehicle on the road to energy transition in France, shows the global warming potential in tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2-eq) for 2016 and 2030. It represents the different phases of the life cycle thermal city car (VT) and electric city car (VE), and their contribution to climate change.

Which phases have the greatest impact on the environment?

Please note that for a thermal city car, this is use phase which has the greatest impact on the environment, up to 75%... This is due, in part, to the use of fuel and the presence of exhaust emissions. This releases carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particles.

With an electric car, there is no CO2 emissions or particles. On the other hand, the friction between tires and brakes remains the same as that of a thermal machine. However, on an electric vehicle, the brakes are used less often because the engine brake is much more powerful.

For a city electric car, this is the stage of production that has the greatest impact on the environment. This includes the car (bodywork, steel and plastic production) as well as the battery, whose impact on resource extraction is significant. Thus, 75% of the environmental impact of a city electric vehicle occurs during these stages of production.

However, manufacturers such as Volkswagen are looking to green up this stage of production. Indeed, electric vehicles ID range and also their batteries will produced in factories using renewable energy sources.

The path is produced the electricity that powers the battery also determines the impact of an electric vehicle on the environment. Indeed, depending on whether the electricity structure is based on renewable energy sources or rather on fossil energy sources, this leads to more or less significant climate impacts (eg emissions of pollutants or greenhouse gases).

Ultimately, an electric vehicle has a smaller impact on the environment.

In general, when you take into account the stages of production and use, an electric vehicle has a lower environmental impact than its thermal counterpart.

According to the Clubic article, for the two combined phases, an electric city car requires 80 g / km CO2 compared to 160 g / km for petrol and 140 g / km for diesel. Therefore, almost half less about the global cycle.

Finally, an electric car is much less polluting than a diesel locomotive and has less impact on climate change. Of course, there are still levers of improvement that need to be tapped, particularly in the battery industry. However, new processes are leading to a greener and smarter world.

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