How environmentally friendly are electric cars?? This question is the subject of the most frequent disputes – even between experts. Important aspects are often neglected.
Since high government subsidies have been granted in germany, the sales figures for cars with battery-electric drives have risen significantly. But electric cars still account for only 1.2 percent of the total fleet of around 48 million registered vehicles.
One important reason for this, apart from high prices and a spotty charging infrastructure, is considerable doubt about the often praised eco-friendliness of electric cars. "For me, the alleged carbon footprint is a complete hoax. You definitely can’t save the environment/climate with the electric car, especially not with the German electricity mix, according to a reader’s opinion this week in the online portal of a major daily newspaper.
Battery production and electricity mix are controversial
"The criticism of the electric car is usually ignited by two points: one is the energy-intensive production of the battery and the other is the still quite high proportion of fossil electricity generation", hinrich helms, an expert on alternative drive systems from the heidelberg institute for energy and environmental research (ifeu), tells dw.
In addition to his own modeling of the environmental balance of electric cars, the expert also evaluates studies on the topic by other institutions.
In large parts of the research community, a consensus is emerging on the climate assessment of the electric car. Taking into account the most important factors that play a role in production and operation, today’s electric vehicles have a climate advantage over cars with diesel or gasoline engines, even when charged with average German electricity mix over the entire life cycle up to battery recycling.
Hinrich helms, expert on alternative drive systems at ifeu heidelberg
The electric car’s lead is growing steadily
According to helms, the advantage has also tended to grow in recent years and is now between 20 and 30 percent. Ten years ago, similar studies had ranked electric vehicles on a par with efficient diesels. But in 2021, the share of green electricity in germany had already averaged 47.7 percent by june, compared to just 16.4 percent in 2010. Accordingly, the lead of electric cars in the balance sheet grew a bit each year, despite simultaneous increases in the efficiency of internal combustion engines.
Even among researchers, there is always a dispute about the CO2 balance of electric cars, as was the case earlier this week. A fierce exchange of views was offered.
Combustion engine experts claimed in an open letter to the EU that CO2 emissions from the charging process of e-cars could be caused by a newly discovered "calculation error" underestimated by at least a factor of two.
You called for vehicles with internal combustion engines to continue to be used in the future to protect the climate, but these should then be operated with biofuels or artificially produced fuels.
Other scientists, who probably do not belong to the combustion faction, reacted promptly.
accusations among scientists
The letter was described as "highly embarrassing," among other things branded and be" a scientifically dressed up lobbyist’s letter", which is frantically trying to replace the "piston engines" to be saved.
The "calculation error is a deliberate assumption and has been an established methodological standard for years.
In this heated debate among fellow researchers, it is remarkable that it is taking place at a time when large parts of the powerful automotive industry – above all the industry leader volkswagen – have long since moved in the direction of electromobility.
"Relatively the best solution is the electric car"
hinrich helms also believes that the electric car is relatively the best solution to the climate problem, if it absolutely has to be a car. "Overall, it would of course be better to avoid the car as much as possible and to use the bicycle or public transportation."
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However, with the generation of renewable electricity, we are at least on the right track and the electric vehicle uses it in a particularly energy-efficient way. However, further challenges lie in the production of the vehicle.
"Sooner or later, renewable energies must also be used in the mining, transport and processing of raw materials and in the further production process in order to achieve zero-emission mobility throughout the entire life cycle of the vehicle. Getting this complex value chain under one roof is of course a major challenge.", says helms, referring to the discussion about the supply chain law, which would make western producers responsible for the human rights and environmental protection of their suppliers.
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