Harshit Rao
Madan Mohan Malviya University of Technology, Gorakhpur
Every time we talk about electric cars, the same debate shows up. Some say electric vehicles are way better than internal combustion engine cars and some people say EV’s are bad for the environment. But we don’t know really. which one is better among the two for the environment.
The major part of the system which leaves environmental footprints are:
- For Gas vehicles, it is the greenhouse gasses produces while manufacturing and driving.
- For electric vehicles, it is the gasses produced while manufacturing batteries and production of electricity for charging.
The material used in EV Batteries: In production right now, all EV batteries are lithium-ion. It is, however, far from the only material used in the development of batteries.
Lithium is the major mined mineral used in all EV batteries currently in production. This extremely valuable resource is mined primarily in Australia, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina.
Bolivia is the leading producer with 2.10 crore tons of lithium reserves, and Argentina has 1.70 crore tons of Lithium. In terms of exploration and analysis of future deposits, India has a long way to go. The public sector and the private players have recognized the potential of Lithium powered electric batteries in the renewable market. TATA is developing Li-ion batteries that are entirely manufactured in India. Lithium-ion batteries can be used to meet a wide range of power requirements. One of the major advantages of a lithium-ion battery is its high energy density and vast energy storage.
The initial footprint from current EV production is greater than the production of gas vehicles. The raw material (lithium) used in large EVs
is mined and the mining process produces lots of greenhouse gases.
It takes 8-10 metric tons of carbon dioxide to produce an average capacity electric vehicle and it depends on the size of the battery used in it. Larger EVs with long-range batteries could emit up to 17 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Conversely, the average production of gas vehicles takes around 7 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Why does EV production lead to a bigger environmental footprint?
As we know, the lithium used in batteries is extracted from the arid salt plains. Workers drill through the crust of salt to get the brine below the surface. It takes 750 tons of brine to produce just 1 ton of lithium and during the process, lots of carbon dioxide gets emitted.
One thing that can be said here is that modern electric vehicle production is in its relative infancy compared to gas engines. As time passes and new processes are implemented, the environmental effects can improve.
We know about the real problems of electric vehicle production, now let’s compare it with the internal combustion engine.
Production:
Manufacturing of average internal combustion vehicles produces about 7 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This accounts for everything from mining ore for steel to the moment the car rolls off the production line. This number is lower in electronic vehicles. Because of the absence of batteries.
After the car rolls out of the factory, greenhouse emissions from internal combustion engines average around 5 metric tons per year, and a car drives the national average of 18000 Km per year. Over the lifespan of a car, it is responsible for producing 55 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Which is 5 for production and 50 for emissions.
Gasoline, like lithium, has to be mined and an average car consumes about 2000 liters of fuel per year, there are a lot of steps between extraction of crude oil to filling our car at fuel stations, and each step has an environmental impact. It is essential to process crude oil into gasoline and other petroleum products after it has been extracted. like jet fuel and petroleum jelly. The process releases tons of greenhouse gasses, not only carbon dioxide but methane and nitrous oxide as well. Every day around the world, about 95 million barrels of oil are produced and it is responsible for emitting 767 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Now let’s work on some manageable numbers, we know that an internal combustion engine emits around 55 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Over the same period, an electric vehicle produces 28 metric tons. Which is half of that of a gas engine.
Even though electric vehicles make more carbon dioxide during their production. They make nearly zero-emission while use. Considering the emissions produced by electric power plants, the average of an electric vehicle is around 2 metric tons per year. So, that means the average EV will be more efficient than a gas-powered car between six months and two years of driving.
