A recent study compares emissions of an electric car versus a standard internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.
Most automakers have been shifting to electric mobility. That is why it is so important to be aware of the advantages of electric vehicles.
EVs themselves are eco-friendly as they emit no harmful substances during operation. But the process of their manufacture is more carbon-intensive than that of equivalent gasoline vehicles.
According to a recent publication of Reuters, an electric car actually creates fewer emissions, but only after it covers 13,500 miles. The finding is a result of an analysis model made by Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago.
The Argonne model helps determine how the usage and production of electric cars influence the environment. The analysis considers many parameters like the chemical elements used in EV batteries and car bodies, battery size, energy sources, fuel economy.
Reuters compared a Tesla Model 3 with a gas-powered Toyota Corolla, and, as result, determined a 13,500-mile break-even point. The U.S. power grid as an energy source was taken.
If researchers took a power source in another country, for example, ‘green’ Norway, the break-even point would come sooner – 8,400 miles. If they took China, where coal largely generates electricity, the break-even point would arrive much later – 78,700 miles.
The final conclusion is that electric vehicles on average generate less carbon than ICE-powered cars. Even under a worst-case scenario, when coal is a source of electricity generation.
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