Transport & Environment wants to put an end to the rumor of polluting electric cars

Transport & Environment wants to put an end to the rumor of polluting electric cars

Arnaud MarchalAutomotive specialistApril 22, 2020, 6:30 p.m.89© Transport & EnvironmentWith a traction battery produced in China, does an electric vehicle emit less CO2 than a petrol or diesel vehicle produced and used in the European Union? This is the question Transport & Environment.With the creation of a new tool, Transport & Environment, the European federation for transport and the environment, tries to provide a clear answer to the question of the “cleanliness” of electric cars.

Towards the end of the controversy over the pollution of electric vehicles?

To create its tool, the federation founded in 1989 and currently headed by Jeppel Juul, compiled all the recent data collected on electric vehicles, gasoline and diesels. A maximum of parameters are taken into account to provide a reliable answer, including the process of manufacturing rare materials necessary for the design of electronics or batteries. This is also where electric vehicles are the worse. The emissions produced for their manufacture are 30% higher than those induced by the construction of a thermal vehicle. However, this balance is largely compensated with use.Read also: Honda wants a "second life" for its used car batteries

An assessment of the complete life cycle: manufacturing and driving< /h2>To take into account all the parameters, the tool calculates the life cycle of a vehicle over 225,000 km - which is not much compared to the lifespan of an electric motor and a traction battery pack, which can travel more than 500,000 km, like the Teslas used as hybrid bikes in California. © Transportation & EnvironmentThanks to the tool, it is possible to realize that even an electric car fitted with a battery assembled in China and driving in Europe would be 22% cleaner than a diesel car and 28% cleaner than a petrol one. And this can even reach 80% for a vehicle assembled and used throughout its life cycle in the same country. This tool is accessible on the Transport & Environment.Read also: The European Commission proposes a climate law, with a carbon neutrality objective in 2050

A view of today and possible evolution in 2030

The calculation also takes into account the evolution of energy sources within the framework of Transport & Environment, in order to estimate CO2 emissions in 2030. Lucien Mathieu, transport and ecomobility analyst at Transport & Mobility said: “This tool puts an end to the myth that driving an electric car in Europe can be worse for the climate than a diesel vehicle or an equivalent fuel. It is simply not true. The most recent data shows that electric cars in the EU emit on average almost three times less CO2 »We just have to wait for countries to mobilize to generalize the energies the most virtuous renewables to drastically reduce the CO2 emissions of our vehicles.Source: Transport & Environment

Transport & Environment wants to end the rumor of dirty electric cars

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