The CarbonBrief article “Factcheck: how electric vehicles help to tackle climate change,” authored by Zeke Hausfather, discusses the merits of electric vehicles in producing low CO2 emissions compared to conventional internal combustion engine cars and responds to ‘misleading media reports on the topic’.

It also discussed results and provided analysis of research on emissions of electric vehicles (EV), and presented some figures taken from the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT).

The following are some of the highlights of the article.

While EVs do not emit greenhouse gases, they run on electricity largely produced by fossil fuels, and energy is used to make the batteries, which emit CO2.
In general, EVs have low emissions during their lifetime compared to conventional – internal combustion engine cars.
In countries highly dependent on coal for energy, the impacts of EVs on emissions are smaller.
There is a gap in the calculations for EV emissions, as different studies show different calculations.
Half of the emissions come from the electricity used to produce EV batteries. Increased use of renewable energy to produce batteries can substantially lower emissions, as with the popular Tesla Model 3 electric car.
A group of German researchers has released a paper saying that electric cars’ CO2 emissions are slightly higher than those of diesel-engine cars. According to the article, the study’s result favours diesel engines, which are emblematic of Germany. The paper has received some pushback from electric vehicle advocates. Shortly thereafter, another research study in Germany on electric vehicles showed that electric vehicles have 43% lower emissions than diesel engines and ‘have lower climate impacts compared with internal combustion engines’.
Analysis by the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT) compares emissions from a typical European internal combustion engine car, a hybrid with the best fuel economy, and a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle in various countries. It measured emissions from the following: tailpipe (grey), from the fuel cycle (oil production, refining, electricity generation, and transport), from manufacturing the non-battery components of the vehicle, and emissions from battery manufacturing.

In general, the ICCT analysis has shown that electric cars have lower CO2 emissions than conventional cars. It’s interesting to note that in Germany, the Nissan Leaf (EV) shows higher emissions than the hybrid (Toyota Prius Eco). Norway and France show the highest difference in emissions—much lower emissions in EVs compared with conventional and hybrid cars.

The analysis also shows varying amounts of emissions in the fuel cycle in other countries; however, emissions from manufacturing the non-battery components on all types of cars (EV, hybrid, and conventional) remain almost the same.

There is a higher CO2 emission when batteries are manufactured in Asia – at 85 grams per kilometre compared to just 35 grams per km when the batteries are produced in the US and Europe because Asia uses coal for electricity.

However, the article says that as EV production grows, so does the use of renewable energy to produce and power EVs, which can significantly lower CO2 emissions.

The article also investigates the fuel economy of electric vehicles (EVs), comparing it with conventional cars. It notes that there is a difference between the ‘test-cycle fuel economy values’ and the ‘real-world performance’. So, the result varies depending on what fuel-economy testing procedures are used to determine fuel economy. However, when using more realistic fuel economy estimates, the result favours EVs.

The article also analyzes the differences in car emissions using studies published between 2010 and 2016. It shows high emissions when batteries are produced in Asia compared with Europe and the United States. These studies, however, recognised the rapid evolution of battery technology and its potential to reduce emissions soon.

Based on the studies described in the article, Electric Vehicles seem to be the best way forward regarding climate change actions and reducing CO2 emissions.

Although studies have shown that EVs have lower CO2 emissions during their life cycle compared to conventional cars, the mass production of batteries poses a challenge. We need to have safe recycling technology at a scale that will reduce waste.

Also, the electricity and energy needed to run EVs, produce all their parts, and construct their infrastructures should all come from renewable or clean energy sources.

The article presents more details and figures on electric car emissions in all areas of its production.