Electric Cars, Pros and Cons

Charging

Another argument fuelling the fire for BEV skeptics is that electric vehicles charge on ‘dirty’ fossil fuelled power grids and can rack up emissions. So despite not polluting via tailpipe fumes they still cause emissions at the power plant. Even cleaner grids will rely on fossil fuels during ‘dark doldrums’ when renewables are intermittent. Despite this, an overall growing number of studies indicate that the average BEV has a smaller carbon footprint over the lifetime of the vehicle in most countries. In line with this claim, a report by the International Council on Clean Transport (ICCT) compares life cycle emissions of vehicles plugged into various European grids, as shown in figure 1.

According to the ICCT’s research, after production and 150,000km of driving the average electric vehicle in Europe produces 50% less emissions. That’s only 2 years of driving before you offset emissions against a petrol or diesel car. However, it’s worth noting that depending on the carbon density of a country’s power grid this can range from 28% to 72%. Therefore, the source of energy your electric vehicle uses should be a key factor if you want to consider your environmental impact. See this link to identify the energy mix of a range of countries.

Keep reading for additional electric cars pros and cons.