Are electric cars environmentally friendly?
Hi, Hiktames Habr! I propose to read the translation of the article The Guardian entitled “How green are electric cars?”
Norway, the world leader in the transition to electric cars, can boast of the environmental friendliness of these cars because the energy for them is produced exclusively at hydroelectric power plants . But how eco-friendly will a car with an electric motor be if the electric power for charging it is generated by burning hydrocarbons?
Through numerous studies, it was confirmed that the energy efficiency of electric vehicles is higher, therefore they emit less greenhouse gases and other pollutants than cars with internal combustion engines (ICE). European studies , based on the expected level of production for 2020, suggest that an electric vehicle that uses exclusively the energy that was produced from burning hydrocarbons requires 2/3 of the energy of the fuel that a similar car with ICE uses to overcome the same distance
For every 100 kilometers covered by a gasoline car ...
Despite the fact that the energy for the movement of both cars is produced by burning the same fuel, the electric car uses much less. And despite the fact that in both cases, burning fossil fuels entails emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, it is better when these emissions occur at a power plant outside the city, rather than directly on the road in front of the school or apartment building.
The transition from a car with an internal combustion engine to an electric car is not a leap, but a multitude of steps, each of which is the degree and nature of the use of gasoline and electric power plants, where energy is taken from and how it is stored.
Cars with ICE. The classical scheme in which the engine burns fuel and drives the wheels directly. The braking energy is dissipated into the atmosphere as heat.
Hybrid . The braking energy is stored in the batteries during regenerative braking , the batteries are also charged from the internal combustion engine in certain driving modes. The energy stored in the batteries is used for driving at low speeds, mainly in city conditions. Hybrid cars consume energy more efficiently, despite the inability to charge from the network.
Plug-in hybrid . The main source of energy is still the internal combustion engine, however, it is possible to charge the battery from the mains. The effectiveness of this solution takes the gap between the car with the engine and a full-fledged electric car, but the maximum mileage is the same as the classic car. The amount of damage to the environment depends on how electricity was generated, which is charged by the battery.
Electric car with increased power reserve . Some models of electric vehicles are equipped with an internal combustion engine, which is designed exclusively for charging the main battery of a car in the event that the battery is far from the charging station. The environmental friendliness of such cars depends on the environmental friendliness of the source of electrical energy with which the battery is charged.
Electric car. Energy is stored in batteries from the network and during regenerative braking, the car is driven only by an electric motor. Environmental friendliness completely depends on the energy source that the battery is charged with.
In practice, how electricity is produced depends on the country in which you live. Owners of electric cars in Norway are charged mainly with electric power from hydroelectric power plants (according to the European classification they refer to wind energy), in France - from nuclear energy, in Germany and the UK - mainly from fossil energy and energy from renewable sources (which means "mixed sources") . In the US, electricity sources vary by state: California makes extensive use of renewable sources, closer to the north of the country, fossil resources are used, including coal.
But what about the impact on the ecology of the process of manufacturing and assembling a car?
Report agency Ricardofound that, in the production of a single car, an average of 5.6 tons of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere, while for an electric car this figure is on average 8.8 tons, almost half of which are caused by the battery production process. Despite this, the same report says that the total emissions of CO2 equivalent in the manufacture and operation of an electric vehicle over the entire lifetime of its batteries will be about 80% of emissions from a car with internal combustion engines only during its operation, excluding manufacturing. At the same time, the recently published analysis of the Financial Times calls into question the environmental friendliness of electric cars, especially cargo models .
Basic information is taken from a European study of the effectiveness of different types of fuel and power plants in a European context . CO2 emissions are taken from the Ricardo report for the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership .
Norway, the world leader in the transition to electric cars, can boast of the environmental friendliness of these cars because the energy for them is produced exclusively at hydroelectric power plants . But how eco-friendly will a car with an electric motor be if the electric power for charging it is generated by burning hydrocarbons?
Through numerous studies, it was confirmed that the energy efficiency of electric vehicles is higher, therefore they emit less greenhouse gases and other pollutants than cars with internal combustion engines (ICE). European studies , based on the expected level of production for 2020, suggest that an electric vehicle that uses exclusively the energy that was produced from burning hydrocarbons requires 2/3 of the energy of the fuel that a similar car with ICE uses to overcome the same distance
For every 100 kilometers covered by a gasoline car ...
Despite the fact that the energy for the movement of both cars is produced by burning the same fuel, the electric car uses much less. And despite the fact that in both cases, burning fossil fuels entails emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, it is better when these emissions occur at a power plant outside the city, rather than directly on the road in front of the school or apartment building.
There are many types of electric cars.
The transition from a car with an internal combustion engine to an electric car is not a leap, but a multitude of steps, each of which is the degree and nature of the use of gasoline and electric power plants, where energy is taken from and how it is stored.
Cars with ICE. The classical scheme in which the engine burns fuel and drives the wheels directly. The braking energy is dissipated into the atmosphere as heat.
Hybrid . The braking energy is stored in the batteries during regenerative braking , the batteries are also charged from the internal combustion engine in certain driving modes. The energy stored in the batteries is used for driving at low speeds, mainly in city conditions. Hybrid cars consume energy more efficiently, despite the inability to charge from the network.
Plug-in hybrid . The main source of energy is still the internal combustion engine, however, it is possible to charge the battery from the mains. The effectiveness of this solution takes the gap between the car with the engine and a full-fledged electric car, but the maximum mileage is the same as the classic car. The amount of damage to the environment depends on how electricity was generated, which is charged by the battery.
Electric car with increased power reserve . Some models of electric vehicles are equipped with an internal combustion engine, which is designed exclusively for charging the main battery of a car in the event that the battery is far from the charging station. The environmental friendliness of such cars depends on the environmental friendliness of the source of electrical energy with which the battery is charged.
Electric car. Energy is stored in batteries from the network and during regenerative braking, the car is driven only by an electric motor. Environmental friendliness completely depends on the energy source that the battery is charged with.
What energy sources do I use?
In practice, how electricity is produced depends on the country in which you live. Owners of electric cars in Norway are charged mainly with electric power from hydroelectric power plants (according to the European classification they refer to wind energy), in France - from nuclear energy, in Germany and the UK - mainly from fossil energy and energy from renewable sources (which means "mixed sources") . In the US, electricity sources vary by state: California makes extensive use of renewable sources, closer to the north of the country, fossil resources are used, including coal.
But what about the impact on the ecology of the process of manufacturing and assembling a car?
Report agency Ricardofound that, in the production of a single car, an average of 5.6 tons of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere, while for an electric car this figure is on average 8.8 tons, almost half of which are caused by the battery production process. Despite this, the same report says that the total emissions of CO2 equivalent in the manufacture and operation of an electric vehicle over the entire lifetime of its batteries will be about 80% of emissions from a car with internal combustion engines only during its operation, excluding manufacturing. At the same time, the recently published analysis of the Financial Times calls into question the environmental friendliness of electric cars, especially cargo models .
Sources
Basic information is taken from a European study of the effectiveness of different types of fuel and power plants in a European context . CO2 emissions are taken from the Ricardo report for the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership .