EVs may not be as eco-friendly as first thought - still generate greenhouse gases
MANUFACTURING figures around the world show that manufacturing EVs still requires mass use of fossil fuels.
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Sales of Electric Vehicles (EVs) have rocketed by almost 80 percent in the UK alone over the past year. But while charging them is certainly better for the environment, claims of their general eco-friendliness may have been exaggerated.
That’s because in some countries, manufacturing EVs requires varying levels of using fossil fuels, according to Science Focus.
In Europe for example, an electric car generates up to 69 percent less CO2 equivalent per kilometre than a petrol car.
However, in India, this figure is 34 percent.
That disparity comes down to how electricity is sourced in each country.
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A recent study by the International Council on Clean Transportation concluded that over their lifetime, including their manufacture, electric vehicles are responsible for fewer greenhouse gas emissions than their petrol counterparts.
France is one of the lowest carbon places in the world to charge an electric car, where only nine percent of electricity comes from burning fossil fuels.
But many countries still produce most of their electricity from coal, oil and gas, so plugging in an electric car in China or India can indirectly generate a large number of greenhouse gases.
EVs also require lithium-ion batteries which can be environmentally hazardous to dispose of.
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While they are much less toxic than traditional lead-acid car batteries, unlike lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries are hard to recycle and subject to explode if disassembled incorrectly.
Currently, only five percent of lithium batteries are recycled globally.
Many EV manufacturers, such as Tesla, are increasing their recycling programmes, but it’s not known if they will be able to cope with demand as the electric vehicles on the road today reach the end of their lifespan.
The automotive industry is searching for EV battery solutions that charge faster, provide better mileage and can be disposed of more efficiently.
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But they will have to work hard to match manufacturers’ plans to make new EVs.
Mercedes Benz expects to have factories producing exclusively electric vehicles by the second half of the decade.
While Volkswagen is planning to set up a new manufacturing plant dedicated solely to electric vehicles in Germany.
And British factories manufactured a record amount of battery electric, hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2021, with a total of 224,011 being made.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said: “The shift to electrified vehicle manufacture continued apace as BEV production surged 72.0 percent.
“Hybrids rose 16.4 percent, as the UK industry — like the market — transforms into a low and, ultimately, zero-carbon industry.”
In a release earlier this month, the SMMT described 2021 as the “most successful year in history for electric vehicle uptake.”
It said that more new battery electric vehicles had been registered in 2021 than over the five previous years combined.