Yet another study found that electric cars have far fewer life-cycle emissions than gas-burners
They say that bad pennies just keep coming, and that’s certainly the case with the long tailpipe myth. The idea that EVs generate more emissions than ICE vehicles when powered by electricity generated from fossil fuels sounds logical to many people, but it has certainly been disproved by lots and lots of scientific studies. .
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Above: A look at the upcoming Ford F-150 Lightning (Source: Ford)
However, we see it repeated on a daily basis, not just by armies of oily trolls, but by auto industry executives and politicians who should (and probably should) know better. So, researchers keep coming up with new, sometimes more detailed studies showing that the average lifecycle emissions of EVs are significantly lower than those of fossil vehicles – and that seems to be the case a decade ago after these studies began. Margins have increased since.
The latest addition to the literature is “The Role of Pickup Truck Electrification in the Decarbonization of Light-Duty Vehicles,” which was conducted by researchers at Ford and the University of Michigan, and published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
The researchers looked at three different powertrain options—fossil burner, hybrid and EV—in three different vehicle classes—midsize sedans, midsize SUVs and full-size pickup trucks. They found that, on average across the US, light-duty EVs have about 64% fewer cradle-to-grave life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than ICE vehicles.
The hybrid was found to have about 28% lower emissions than the ICE.
The larger the vehicle, the greater the benefit of electrification. Average lifetime emissions reduction is approximately 45 tonnes of CO. found2 For sedans, 56 tons for SUVs and 74 tons for pickup trucks. It’s a finding that is of particular relevance to Ford, the world’s leading seller of pickups.
Yes, electric vehicles have higher greenhouse gas emissions than gas vehicles during manufacturing due to battery production, but the difference is offset by emissions savings in their operation.
Yes, it does matter where the vehicle is driven, due to “the effect of ambient temperature on fuel economy and variability in grid carbon intensity across the United States.” Obviously, there are some areas with a particularly gray grid, in which EV emissions are slightly higher than the average ICE. On the other hand, in the cleanest grid areas, EV emissions are many times lower. The study found that, taking into account every county in the US, EV greenhouse-gas emissions are 13%-118% of their ICE counterparts. There are fewer gray areas: “BEVs have lower GHG emissions than hybrids in 95%–96% of US counties and lower GHG emissions than ICE vehicles in 98%–99% of counties.”
“This is an important study to inform and encourage climate action,” said senior author Greg Keolian, a professor at the University of Michigan. “Our research clearly shows substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions that can be achieved by transitioning to electrified powertrains across all vehicle classes. We measure total vehicles on a per mile basis for the final stages of vehicle production, use and life. In addition, we analyzed regional variation in emissions considering differences in power grid mix and ambient temperature, and we also explored the effects of the rate of grid decarbonization on emissions reduction .
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This article originally appeared in Charged. Author: Charles Morris. Source: Environmental Research Letters via Electrek
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