The impact of electromobility on our environment
A brief summary of the most important statements in the article
- Depending on the production location, battery production has a greater or lesser impact on the environment. This impact can be reduced by using renewable energy.
- The extraction of raw materials causes problems such as high water consumption and acid rain. Governments and manufacturers are challenged to create acceptable framework conditions.
- The raw materials needed for battery production can be reused largely through recycling. Petrol and diesel, on the other hand, cannot be recycled.
- Electricity demand is increasing with a growing number of electric cars. Due to the more efficient electric motor, the increase in electricity required is limited. Energy suppliers see themselves well equipped for the changeover.
The topic of electromobility is inevitably linked to the issue of the environment. Proponents see it as a chance to get rid of CO2 emissions in one fell swoop. Opponents, however, point to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the production of batteries.
In this article, we look at these and some other issues surrounding the impact of e-mobility on our environment.
Production and operation
Battery production is resource- and energy-intensive and thus has a major impact on the carbon footprint of an electric car. For example, the production of an 80 kWh battery releases 5 – 8.5 tonnes of CO2. [1] In comparison, the entire production of a vehicle with a combustion engine emits about 6 – 7 tonnes of CO2.[2] But the electricity mix used for battery production also plays a decisive role. In Sweden, for example, the carbon footprint for a battery is 24 times better than in Poland. The fact is that battery production methods are constantly evolving and becoming more environmentally friendly.[3]
Locally, electric vehicles are emission-free. Only tyre and brake abrasion have a small impact on the environment. During operation, the electric car is even more climate-friendly than a petrol engine in 95 percent of the cases.[4] With a 50 percent share of e-cars, global CO2 emissions could be reduced by 1.5 gigatonnes annually. That is equivalent to Russia's entire annual CO2 emissions.[5]
Not only the electricity mix during battery production, but also for charging the e-vehicles is crucial for environmental friendliness. Researchers at the University of Trier have conducted an exciting experiment on this. They converted a VW Caddy into an electric car and calculated the point at which the E-Caddy has a better eco-balance than its petrol counterpart. If the E-Caddy is produced and charged purely with green electricity, it already has a better life cycle assessment than the combustion engine after 20,000 km. If the average European electricity mix is used, the calculated break-even point rises to 100,000 km. If coal-fired electricity is used for production and charging, the electric vehicle only achieves a better balance after 310,000 km than the petrol-powered VW Caddy.[6]
Raw materials
In addition to electricity, a wide variety of raw materials are needed for the production of batteries. These include rare earths and materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper. According to the Öko-Institut e.V., global deposits of lithium, cobalt and nickel clearly exceed demand, but the extraction of these raw materials is sometimes associated with considerable environmental and social problems.[7] In the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, the groundwater level is sinking due to the pumping out of the saline brine. This is because to obtain one tonne of lithium, an amount of 0.4 million to 2 million litres of brine is required, depending on the concentration.[8] In Canada and Russia, nickel mining leads to acid rain and the loss of biodiversity.[9] Due to limited water resources, precarious working conditions or child labour, social problems go hand in hand with the extraction of the required resources. Governments and manufacturers are called upon to create acceptable framework conditions.[10]
A positive example can be seen in Bolivia. Almost 20 percent of the world's lithium deposits are located there. When mining the raw material, the government wants to take the interests of the population into account. It is even trying to produce lithium-ion batteries for the world market itself.[11]
With all this – quite justified – criticism, however, it must not be forgotten that the extraction of crude oil and the production of petrol and diesel also pollute and damage the environment.
Recycling
The raw materials in the vehicle battery are recyclable to a high degree. This reduces the amount that has to be mined again.[12] In contrast, nothing is left over from conventional fossil fuels except heat.
With special processes, more than 90 percent of a lithium-ion battery can already be recycled. This significantly reduces the need for raw materials for battery production.[13] The Austrian company "Saubermacher" is one of the pioneers in recycling batteries. They expect a volume of 2,000 – 3,000 tonnes of used batteries in the next few years.[14]
Even if recycling is not taken into account, the balance of an electric car in terms of resource consumption looks very good. A car with a combustion engine consumes an average of 17,000 litres of petrol or 13,500 litres of diesel over its lifetime. This corresponds to 12,500 and 11,340 kg of resources respectively. The battery of an electric car, on the other hand, consumes only 30 kg of raw materials. This is metal that can no longer be used. Due to technical progress, the amount of recyclable metal will increase in the future.[15]
Electricity demand
The decisive factor for the eco-balance of an electric car is how the required electricity is generated. Austria is already in a very good position in this respect. In 2020, 81 percent of the electricity generated already came from renewable resources. Hydropower accounted for the lion's share.[16]
Of course, the switch to electromobility goes hand in hand with an increased demand for electricity. However, electric motors are much more efficient than combustion engines. For example, an electric motor is 85 percent efficient, whereas combustion engines are only 25 percent efficient. The increased electricity demand is therefore not particularly significant. If 10 percent of all cars in Austria were electric, the annual electricity demand would increase by 1.3 TWh. In terms of total electricity demand, this would correspond to an increase of 1.8 percent. Even if all vehicles in Austria were to be electrically powered, this would only lead to an 18 percent increase in electricity demand.[17]
Energy suppliers like E.ON believe their grids are well equipped for electric mobility. Especially if the vehicles are not all charged at the same time with the help of load management. In this case, charging could be shifted to night-time hours, when there is generally less demand for electricity.[18]
[14] Electric WOW magazine, 01/2021