The Grey Areas in Green Vehicles
At the beginning of the 2010s, a new generation of cars began to take up more space in the automotive industry; since the launch of the bestselling Nissan Leaf (2010) and Tesla Model S (2012), electric vehicles (EVs) have become more and more commonplace. Today, electric car manufacturers are leading the automotive industry, with Tesla reporting larger third quarter (2020) increases in vehicles sold than any other car manufacturer in the US, and with EV chargers becoming a common sight at average highway rest stops and gas stations. The success of electronic vehicles heavily relies on their environmental appeal, pushed by so-called “green marketing” that compares clean EVs with highly-polluting gasoline-fueled cars. However, in the past few years, critics have grown wary of EVs, pointing out that green marketing has deceived customers into believing that EVs are less pollutant than normal cars, when in fact the opposite may be true.
Two core components of EV technology and operation are battery manufacturing and energy production, which can both significantly contribute to pollution. The batteries of an EV require many rare materials and heavy metals, the mining for which has a high carbon footprint. In fact, the production of an electric car reportedly causes twice as much carbon emissions as that of a traditional gasoline-fueled car. Outside of their carbon footprint, EVs also have reduced lifespans and cause dangerous battery waste.
Moreover, electric cars require considerable amounts of energy to run and, depending on how that power is produced, their compounded CO2 emissions can be relatively high. Indeed, according to Canada’s energy regulator, in coal- and natural-gas intensive Alberta, a Tesla model S electric sedan emits around 10% more CO2 per km than a gasoline-fueled Honda CR-V SUV. Despite the fact that EVs indubitably have a significant carbon footprint, EV manufacturers focus heavily on green marketing, employing “zero emissions” labels to make their cars seem more attractive than gas alternatives. Pollution regulations that focus mostly on “running emissions” (emissions emitted while using the vehicle) also heavily favour electric cars, which further serves to effectively seduce customers into believing that buying an EV is the best thing they can do for the planet. The newfound “dirty” side of EVs, in conjunction with the rise of aggressive green marketing, has recently prompted backlash against the industry, causing outrage even amongst popular media.
Consumers are starting to realize that electric cars aren’t as green as manufacturers claim them to be, but it isn’t time to stop producing them yet. While EV manufacturers have proved to be relatively deceptive in their marketing, the emerging industry still holds promises. Despite having a considerable carbon footprint, compounded lifetime emissions for EVs in Europe are still half those of a traditional gasoline-fueled car on average. Moreover, EV emissions can be reduced through alternate means of electricity generation, such as nuclear power. For example, France produces an overwhelming majority of its energy through carbon-neutral nuclear power, resulting in lifetime emissions for EVs that are close to half the European average. Renewable energy’s share in European power production has about doubled in the last 15 years, reaching around 20% in 2019. Given these recent developments in clean energy, one can reasonably assume that these emissions figures could be lowered much more. Similarly, battery technology is constantly evolving in favour of more eco-friendly materials and mining. Batteries today are already significantly more efficient than those produced at the start of the decade and are less polluting to manufacture. In a positive indicator for the carbon footprint of batteries, on its highly anticipated Battery Day event, Tesla recently announced they have neared a breakthrough that would dramatically increase the lifespan of such batteries, as well as increasing vehicle range by 16%. In addition, the growing battery recycling industry is giving consumers agency in lower battery-related waste and pollution.
Recent findings have shed light on the darker side of a supposedly eco-friendly industry and have shown consumers that EV technology is far from perfect. Through energy production and battery manufacturing, electric vehicles contribute their fair share to global greenhouse gas emissions, despite being touted as the solution to global warming. However, it is important to remember that the technology is still young, and it has great room for improvement on the environmental front. This improvement can come from within the industry (new supra-conductors, more efficient batteries) or from outside it (cleaner energy production, battery recycling), in comparison to the lack of innovation seen for gasoline-fueled cars that are relatively stuck in time. One could argue that buying an EV right now isn’t the most eco-friendly decision to make, but it still contributes to a gradual replacement of old engines within the automotive landscape. In the near future, when EV technology will have lowered emissions drastically, the early adoption of these vehicles by the general public will prove to be very fruitful. While EV manufacturers produce pollutant vehicles and deceitful marketing, in the long run, their vehicles will be the driving force in transitioning to more sustainable transportation.