> [EV and ICE vehicles were] comparatively
analyzed by dividing into five categories: raw material production, vehicle manufacture,
transportation, operation, and decommissioning. The analysis [...] revealed that electric vehicles have a markedly lower impact in
both categories, especially in regions with clean power sources like British Columbia. This
conclusion is reached after consideration of the higher environmental burdens of raw material
production and decommissioning inherent to electric vehicles. The significantly lower impacts
from the operation stage had the strongest effect on the results. Sensitivity analysis showed that
a longer lifespan shifted the efficiency balance further toward the electric vehicle.
That's great, but it's biased in several ways that make it not relevant to my lifestyle.
1. I'm never going to live in Vancouver, so my electricity is probably never going to be near as clean, even though it is relatively low carbon by US standards.
2. I'm never going to own a Ford Focus - my car gets much higher mileage, around 50 mpg, which is a big reduction in CO2. There are a few different options with similar mileage, too.
3. I'm never going to own a clown-car Mitsubishi EV; at present, I think the plausible choices are a Nissan Leaf, a Chevy Bolt, or a Kia/Hyundai (I forget the models). I don't know these would increase the CO2 from manufacturing a lot, but it wouldn't surprise me.
What is your car? It doesn't actually get 50mpg unless its a hybrid or you only drive it long distances on a freeway. If its a hybrid, it has all the environmental impact of having two complete power systems, the negative effects of a battery etc. If its not a hybrid, then you aren't getting 50mpg around town.
>If its a hybrid, it has all the environmental impact of having two complete power systems, the negative effects of a battery etc
No, it doesn't. This is a popular thing to say, but I wish people would think about it for a minute.
My car has a ~1.2 kWh battery. A Bolt or a Leaf has 40-60 kWh.
I don't understand why people don't get this. With a gas engine, you have 98% less battery. So you are not just adding complexity for super long trips. That's not the equation at all.
If batteries get better, it doesn't change the proportion of 50:1.
And batteries also become harder and harder to get perfect the larger they get. So there's no question in my mind of more chance of a defective one on an EV.
