Electric Cars

Pollution and Electric Cars

Pollution and electric cars are two discussions of environmentalists today.

While battery operated vehicles produce no pollution at the tailpipe, their use increases the demand for electricity generation, which can result in a great deal of pollution, depending on source. This consumption varies depending on whether one is using a fuel efficient vehicle, an alternative fuel vehicle, a battery-powered vehicle, or a hybrid.

It Depends on the Method

Generating electricity and producing liquid fuels for vehicles involve differing categories of the energy economy, but still emit carbon dioxide into the environment. These factors must be accounted for in a well-to-wheel comparison; this includes total emissions resulting from drawing material from the environment, converting it to usable energy, and the remaining leftover pollutants. An electric car’s WTW emissions are much lower in a country like Canada – whose electricity supply is dominated by hydro and nuclear – than in countries like China and the US, who rely heavily on coal.

The Inefficient Infrastructure for Electrical Generation

A battery-powered vehicle recharged from the existing US grid electricity emits about 115 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven, whereas a conventional US-market gasoline powered car emits 250 grams, most of which is from tailpipe emissions, while the rest is from the production and distribution of gasoline. The savings resulting from the use of hybrid or diesel vehicles is dubious, but it would be more significant in countries with a cleaner infrastructure for electrical generation than the United States. A 2009 study conducted by the World Wildlife Foundation concluded that introducing 1 million battery-powered vehicles to Germany would, in a best-case scenario, only reduce CO2 emissions by 0.1 percent, if nothing is done to upgrade the electricity generation infrastructure or if demand isn’t managed.

Based on simulations, electric cars can achieve up to 100 percent reductions with renewable electric generation. Presently, only a 32 percent reduction in CO2 pollution is possible through electric cars that recharge from non-renewable utilities on the US power grid. This is due to the majority use of fossil fuels for electrical generation as well as inefficiency of the grid itself.

Gasoline contains about 80 times more energy, by weight, than the best lithium-ion battery. In 2010, a Washington Post editorial commented that because of the difficulty in charging unreliable batteries, the electric car is, “the next big thing – and it always will be.” However, as green technology improves, interest in battery-powered vehicles is rapidly growing.