Driving an EV powered by a dirty grid still better for the environment than driving an ICE vehicle

A new analysis by independent energy research firm Rystad Energy has concluded that battery-powered electric vehicles are “simply better for the environment” than diesel or gasoline cars, even in a grid dominated by fossil fuels.

The analysis by the Norway based Rystad Energy finds that battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) contribute at most half the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) of diesel or gasoline cars across their lifespan, regardless of the country of operation.

“Despite incurring higher emissions in the manufacturing process of electric vehicles and an enduring reliance on fossil fuel power generation in many countries, the positive environmental impact of switching to a BEV over the vehicle’s lifetime is unmistakable,” the analysis found.

"The positive environmental impact of switching to a BEV over the vehicle’s lifetime is unmistakable."

Even in countries where the power grid remains dominated by fossil fuels, battery-powered cars still emit less CO2e than ICE cars. As renewable energy replaces fossil fuels, emissions related to the operation of BEVs could drop by as much as 86%.

The research considered every stage of the manufacturing process and the vehicle’s operation, including manufacturing, assembly, maintenance, fuel and electricity-related emissions, and battery production. It did not consider the social and humanitarian impacts associated with EV manufacturing, battery production and associated mining.

Rystad Energy looked at five countries in particular – China, the United States, India, Germany, and France – due to a diverse array of transportation factors across the countries, and grid generation mixes.

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In their scenario for power generation in China over the next 20 years, Rystad Energy found that the lifecycle emissions of a BEV are about 39 tonnes of CO2e, compared to almost 85 tonnes for an ICE vehicle.

In the United States, the difference is even starker, with a BEV emitting 42 tonnes of CO2e across its life compared to 100 tonnes for ICE vehicles.

90% of the ICE emissions are related to the extraction, refining and burning of fossil fuels.

“Overall, battery electric vehicles are clearly the right technology to reduce emissions in the transportation sector,” said Abhishek Murali, senior clean tech analyst at Rystad Energy.

Switching to a BEV will reduce long-term emissions despite a larger environmental impact at the beginning of the vehicle’s life. Contrary to some claims, electric car adoption is not a fool’s errand; it will slash emissions in the long run and accelerate the energy transition.”

The power mix of each country will also play a significant role in determining how quickly emissions reduction can be achieved when switching to BEVs. Whereas ICE vehicles become more emissions heavy as they age, BEVs will emit less over the years as power generation becomes greener and renewable.

The value of electric vehicles is highlighted further in the way that vehicles are set to age over the coming decades. Specifically, ICE vehicles are already known to become more emissions heavy as they age, whereas BEVs are set to emit fewer emissions over the years as national power generation becomes greener and more reliant on renewable energy and storage.

By anticipating the future development of the US power grid, Rystad anticipates that in 2041 a BEV will emit only 14% of the emissions equivalent of a gasoline or diesel car.

In India, which has a coal-heavy power mix, there will be 43% lower lifecycle emissions.

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An earlier version of this article was published by The Driven. You can read it here.