A Facebook post dated November 30, 2023, compares the alleged CO2 emissions associated with the production of electric vehicle (EV) batteries to those generated by gasoline cars.
The post claims, “The production of ONLY an electric car battery generates the same amount of CO2 as a gasoline engine for 8 years!!”
This post has been shared over 3000 times in six weeks.
Our evaluation: False
It is true that the production of EV batteries generates CO2 emissions, but there is no established number of years after which the emissions from a gasoline engine would equal those produced during battery production. It depends on various factors such as battery production processes, the size of the EV battery, and the amount of driving done in a gasoline car.
Let’s assume we have average driving patterns and emissions from the tailpipe of a gasoline car. Data from recent studies show that in Australia (where this statement originated) or in the USA, it would not even take 8 years of driving a gasoline car to match the CO2 emissions from EV batteries.
What is the carbon footprint of producing EV batteries?
Numerous studies have estimated the emissions associated with the production of EV batteries. Emissions are often given in pounds of CO2 equivalents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) – a measure of the battery size. For example:
All these estimates together give a range of 90 to 220 pounds of CO2 equivalents per kWh. If these values are applied to EV batteries ranging in size from 60-90 kWh (commonly sold in the USA in 2022), the range would be approximately 2.5 to 9 tons of CO2 equivalents per battery.
The amount of CO2 emitted per mile during the operation of a gasoline car also varies depending on the vehicle’s fuel efficiency, but the average in the USA is 400 grams per mile, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Based on this estimate, the emissions from the tailpipe of a gasoline car would be equivalent to the emissions from battery production after driving around 6,250 to 22,500 miles.
The time it would take to drive those miles would depend on driver habits. However, the average American driver covers 13,476 miles annually, according to the US Department of Transportation.
Based on this estimate, the emissions from a gasoline car would match the emissions from an EV battery in approximately 6-20 months, much less than eight years.
In Australia (the residence of the person posting this statement on Facebook), the average vehicle covers about 7,519 miles per year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Assuming all other estimates are the same, emissions from a gasoline car would equal battery emissions in about 10-36 months.
Can we rely on renewable energy? Four ways wind, solar, and water can power the USSome previous studies have shown much higher estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with EV battery production. For example, the highest estimate reviewed by USA TODAY ranged from 427 to 1,089 pounds of CO2 equivalents per kWh, which appeared in a 2016 scientific paper.
Assuming the same estimates from the previous calculations, it would take just over eight years of driving in the USA to match the production emissions of 1,089 CO2 per kWh for a 90 kWh battery. However, this is currently not a realistic scenario, as Hanjiro Ambrose, the lead author of the 2016 study, said in an interview with USA TODAY.
He said that since the publication of the 2016 study, significant changes have occurred in the scale, efficiency, and technologies of battery production, and much lower emissions – about 220 pounds per kWh – are more realistic. This estimate falls within the range of values that USA TODAY used to compare emissions from EV battery production to emissions from gasoline car tailpipes.
Georg Bieker, a senior researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation, told USA TODAY that modern emission studies rely on real-world data that was previously unavailable for research from a few years ago. In the past, energy consumption patterns in large battery production facilities could only be approximated.
However, in “global gigawatt-hour-scale battery production facilities – gigafactories – the energy consumption per battery is much lower than in laboratories or pilot-scale facilities that previous estimates were based on,” he said in an email. “The estimate in my 2021 paper – 132 pounds per kWh for batteries sold in the USA – was based on real-world data. The data from this work was included in USA TODAY’s comparison of battery production and gasoline car engine emissions.”
CO2 emissions over the lifetime of electric vehicles are usually lower than those of gasoline cars
The Facebook post presents a misleading statement about EV batteries and, by focusing solely on two sources of emissions, does not provide a complete comparison of both technologies. For example, the production of gasoline cars also generates CO2 emissions.
“It is important to look at the entire life cycle of the vehicle and fuel – not just how much energy or emissions are associated with one component,” said Matteo Muratori, a researcher in vehicle energy transitions at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in an email to USA TODAY.
Therefore, when researchers compare emissions from both technologies, they analyze “life cycle emissions” – all emissions associated with each phase of the vehicle’s life. These include greenhouse gas emissions from:
Extraction
Transportation of raw materials
Vehicle production, including battery production
Gasoline production and distribution
Burning gasoline in the internal combustion engine
Electricity generation for charging electric vehicles
When considering emissions from the entire life cycle, most EVs emit significantly less CO2 than comparable gasoline cars, as stated by Jessika Trancik, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who focuses on emissions from electric vehicles, in a conversation with USA TODAY.
“The life cycle emissions of an electric vehicle are typically over 30% lower than the emissions of a comparable gasoline car – across all car models and locations (in the USA),” she said in an email. “This difference will increase as the energy mix decarbonizes.”
Decarbonizing the energy grid in the USA – increasing the share of renewable energy.
FAQ:
1. What statistics are being compared in the post regarding CO2 emissions?
– The post compares CO2 emissions associated with the production of EV batteries to the emissions generated by gasoline cars.
2. Is the statement in the post true?
– No, the statement in the post is false. While the production of EV batteries does generate CO2 emissions, there is no established number of years after which emissions from a gasoline engine would equal those produced during battery production. It depends on various factors such as battery production processes, the size of the EV battery, and the amount of driving done in a gasoline car.
3. What is the carbon footprint of producing EV batteries?
– Numerous studies have estimated the emissions associated with EV battery production. Emissions are often given in pounds of CO2 equivalents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) – a measure of the battery size. Estimates indicate that CO2 emissions per EV battery range from 90 to 220 pounds of CO2 equivalents. The size of the battery and the specific production processes can influence the overall emissions.
4. Do electric vehicles emit less CO2 over their lifetime compared to gasoline cars?
– Yes, when the entire life cycle of the vehicle is considered, including production, fuel extraction, and electricity generation, most EVs emit significantly less CO2 than comparable gasoline cars. Life cycle emissions of an electric vehicle are typically over 30% lower than emissions from a comparable gasoline car.
The source of the article is from the blog jomfruland.net