Is buying electric cars better for the environment
Governments and automobile companies around the world are promoting the purchase of electric
vehicles as the key technology to combat climate change and stop oil use For example, before the time of
GM’s announcement to halt the sale of gasoline vehicles by 2035 and replace electric models, Volvo also
announced that it will switch to fully electric models by 2030.
As electric cars and trucks have begun to spread dramatically, the question facing this industry is: are
electric cars really as environmentally friendly as they are promoted?
In fact, most experts agree that electric vehicles are less harmful to the environment than conventional
fuel cars, but in contrast this does not mean they are free of damage to the environment as the impact of
an electric vehicle on the environment varies greatly depending on the charging route and the
manufacturing method.
Method of electricity production
It is true that the electric vehicle does not produce any emissions directly but to recharge the battery the
vehicle must connect to the local electricity grid which often relies heavily on burning fossil fuels to
generate electric power, This, of course, varies from country to country where States may rely on
renewable sources of energy, while others, for example, rely on coal burning.
To make the comparison more realistic, all relevant factors, including emissions from vehicle
manufacturing (electric and conventional) and emissions from the refining and production of gasoline
and diesel fuel, should be included in addition to the amount of gasoline burned by conventional
vehicles, as well as where electricity comes from to charge electric vehicles.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) conducted a study of these factors. According to this
study, when calculating emissions from the purchase and acquisition of electric vehicles in the United
States of America, in which electricity companies combine the use of renewable and traditional sources of
electricity generation, electric vehicles are more environmentally preserving – less emissions – than
gasoline cars in general. But in areas that rely on 100% fossil fuels to generate electric power, the
difference is so low that some electric vehicles become more harmful to the environment.
For example, with the adoption of coal to generate electric power, the rate of all-electric pickup Ford F
150 lite is rising to become more emission than most conventional cars, such as the Jeep Gladiator, as
well as the Audi iTron, which produces more emissions than the Nissan 370Z if it relies on coal-burning
electricity.
However, as most States tend to use a clean energy source to generate electricity, the cuff tends to favour
electric vehicles in general.
Problematic raw materials
Like other batteries, lithium batteries used in most electric vehicles depend on raw materials such as
cobalt, lithium and other rare elements, for which astrology has been associated with several
environmental and human concerns, especially cobalt, which is extracted by many residues and harmful
substances that seep into the environment.
On the other hand, many studies have found that the communities surrounding cobalt mines have
recorded excessive exposure to this substance, especially among children. “, where 70% of the cobalt
mines are located in the Republic of the Congo and where workers – including many children – are engaged in digging and digging with hand tools with little protection, Especially because the cobalt
extraction process results in the release of harmful sulphur oxide gas.
Lithium is excavated in Australia or in simplified salt lands in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile and the process
requires a lot of groundwater to pump salt solutions, which reduces the availability of water to indigenous
farmers, Water used in the battery industry means electric cars consume 50% more water than traditional
automobile manufacturing needs.
In China, these rare material deposits often contain radioactive materials that can leak into water and dust
While manufacturers of electric vehicles and batteries are trying to reduce the use of cobalt in the battery
industry in preparation for its complete dispensing, this technology is still being developed.
Recycling Electric Car Batteries
While early generations of electric vehicles are close to reaching the end-of-life stage, this means
accumulating a lot of batteries that need to be solved.
As stated by our dear reader, most electric vehicles use lithium batteries that store much more energy
than regular lead batteries, but while 99% of lead batteries in the USA are recycled, only 5% of lithium
batteries are recycled
Experts point out that damaged batteries contain a number of useful and reusable metals and materials,
but the recycling process currently used consumes a lot of water and may result in harmful gases, so a
number of experts and automakers recommend otherwise recycling lithium batteries.
When battery power drops by 80%, for example, this will reduce the range it travels when fully charged,
which is understandable, but this does not affect other uses, including energy storage in fixed systems.
Many automobile companies, including Nissan, BMW and Toyota, use old batteries for electric vehicles in
fixed energy storage systems energy storage, such as the storage of electrical energy from solar panels,
which saves them a lot of money compared to the use of new batteries for this task For its part, General
Motors states that it designs its electric vehicle batteries in a way that suits their reuse of energy storage.
In the end, dear reader, the decision to buy electric cars depends not only on being environmentally
friendly or not There are many considerations such as the cost of fuel, specifications and many others that
may vary from person to person, But in this article we liked to take a close look at the most popular idea
of the benefits of electric cars being environmentally friendly. and we hope that we have succeeded in
presenting a balanced and unbiased vision.
