Automotive Industry and Climate Change: Are electric cars really good for the environment? What can be done to make them more sustainable?

By: Madison R. Abreu

Introduction 

Without drastic actions the effects of climate change can soon become irreversible. This concern has led to many industries enhancing their products to be more environmentally friendly. While this movement is good it isn’t enough to save our planet. This is evident with the creation of electric vehicles. According to BBC News additional steps other than shifting to electric vehicles will need to be taken if we are going to meet our current climate goals. However the implementation of an electric dominated motor industry is a step in the right direction. 

Manufacturing

The first step in creating a vehicle is the manufacturing process which includes the gathering of materials. In the article “SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION: ELECTRIC VS. GAS” Folk writes “The batteries utilized in EVs often contain lithium-ion. The mining and processing of lithium are energy-intensive and polluting.”(Folk, 2020). Additionally in the article “Are Electric Cars Really Greener?” Gonclaves writes that “to produce 1 ton of REE, 75 tons of acid waste (which isn’t always handled in the right way) and 1 ton of radioactive residues are also made, according to the Chinese Society of Rare Earths.”(Gonclaves, 2020). Here we see that during their manufacturing process, electric vehicles are producing a lot of waste because of the gathering of the materials needed. Gas vehicles don’t require these rare earth elements. Solely looking at the manufacturing process of electric vehicles and gas vehicles it would seem that gas vehicles are producing significantly less waste; however, we can’t judge the sustainability of these cars on their manufacturing processes alone.  Folk also writes “Even when EV manufacturing is taken into consideration, the average battery-powered car still produces 50% fewer emissions than gas-powered vehicles over their comparative lifetimes.”(Folk, 2020). This difference in lifetime emissions is a significant gap and BBC News mentions that this gap is even larger in countries where their national grids are run on more renewable energy resources. We see here that the negatives that come with the manufacturing of electric vehicles do not outweigh the benefits that could come with them. Additionally electric vehicles as they are now are not the final solution. Scientists are still working on creating better batteries for electric vehicles and constantly looking for new ways to make them increasingly more sustainable.

Emissions While in Use

Technically because of the way batteries in electric vehicles work they produce no exhaust from their tailpipe. On the other hand, Cars that run on gas need to burn that gas in order to create a chemical reaction in the engine to make it run, in turn releasing exhaust. Electric vehicles don’t need to rely on combustion thanks to the lithium-ion batteries most of them use. This may lead someone to believe that electric cars are the ultimate solution to our transportation problems, however we’re missing part of the information. Electric cars need to charge at charging stations in order to function and serve their purpose as a motor vehicle. The charging stations are feeding the car electricity that is not always clean energy. This means that while electric cars may not be causing direct pollution, they still rely on fossil fuels and other unclean forms of energy to run. 

Figure 1

United States national average of electricity sources

This image shows the national average of electricity sources in the United States. U.S. Department of Energy. (n.d.). National averages [Graph]. https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_emissions.html

In figure 1 we see that our country relies on a nonrenewable dominated energy market. Gonclaves writes “if the electricity used to charge cars comes from the burning of fossil fuels, it doesn’t matter if the Electric Vehicles are not polluting while being driven, as this pollution was already released in some distant power plant.”(Gonclaves, 2020). Here the author makes an important connection. It’s great that electric vehicles themselves don’t produce any exhaust emission, but they do require it to happen somewhere else. This is especially bad in countries where their grid is run on an unclean and fossil fuel dominated energy market. As countries move toward cleaner energy, electric cars will also benefit and produce less indirect emissions because the grids they are powered by are relying more on clean energy sources. In the article “100 Percent Renewable Energy Charged EV Stations Allow Driving on Sunshine” Movellan writes “In the U.S., Envision Solar, headquartered in San Diego, California, has developed the unique EV ARC (Electric Vehicle Autonomous Renewable Charger), which is the world’s first fully autonomous, mobile, and 100 percent solar charged EV station.” This invention could change the way we currently charge electric vehicles. As mentioned before the more renewable energy we use to charge these cars the less emissions they will put out and this invention allows us to do just that. This charging station not only charges using solar power, but during the day it stores energy for an electric vehicle to be charged at night as well. The article also says “According to Alternative Fuels Data Center run by the U.S. Department of Energy, there are 10,307 public EV charging stations, which provide electricity from 26,589 charging outlets in the US. How many of those EV stations supply renewable energy is currently unknown, but in the near future, we may be able to select EV chargers by the type of electricity, much like we select different types of gas at a gas station”. With so many charging stations and currently no measure of how many of them are renewable, the creation of this new solar powered charging station can lead to big steps toward an electric motor industry. They supply the vehicle with clean energy to run on, they’re mobile, and don’t require being plugged in to anything. 

Recycling

Another issue related to electric cars has to do with the disposal of electric batteries. Once the batteries for these cars need to be replaced, what happens to the old batteries? As mentioned previously the batteries for electric cars contain rare earth elements; however the recycling process is extremely wasteful. The recycling process for these batteries is expensive because they are larger than other similar batteries which are found in smart phones and electronics, so these batteries often go unrecycled because the process is not cost effective and the valuable rare earth elements go to waste. Gonclaves says “in the EU market, in 2011, only 5% of lithium was being collected and the rest was either incinerated or dumped in landfills”(Gonclaves, 2020). This process is extremely wasteful considering these materials are a limited resource and can be used up. Gonclaves writes “In spite of these pollution issues, research tells us not to worry about the availability of these rare earth elements and when it comes to lithium, there is data estimating enough worldwide reserves for the next 185 years, even if the EC market triples, according to Deutsche Bank. As for cobalt, graphite, and nickel, they also seem to be in a comfortable situation, since the demand for the years to come is expected to stay far away from the reserves Earth has to offer.”(Gonclaves, 2020). This mindset does not prepare us for the future. We may have enough reserves to last us a while, but what happens after this time has passed. It is important to not only think about what benefits us today, but also think about future generations and the problems they will face if we squander our limited resources. 

Limitations

Even though electric cars are overall better for the environment than gas cars, not everyone may have access to them. The charging stations for these electric cars are limited, so as we try to move towards a more electric motor industry we also need to increase the amount of charging stations. Additionally, BBC News mentions the strain this could put on our energy supply. According to the article “Should All Cars Be Electric By 2025? the Electric Car Debate In Europe” The author writes “the use of electric energy by automobiles would lead to a reduction in gasoline consumption of 40.7% in 2031, accompanied by an increase in electricity consumption of 42.1% in relation to official projections” The increase in electric vehicle use would cause a higher demand for energy which could result in more use of fossil fuels to supply the demand. We need to move toward an electric dominated motor industry gradually, so that our grid can keep up with the demand. 

Innovation

Our motor industry has the potential, with innovation, to be increasingly efficient. In the journal article “Electric avenue: Electric cars on a 2 way street?” the author explains that there are people exploring plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This idea would prepare cars with the tools necessary to store solar and wind energy to supply its own demand and potentially feed energy back into the grid which could be profitable for the owner of the vehicle. Additionally, the improvement of our recycling practices would make it more cost-efficient to recycle these batteries and reuse the valuable material inside. Lastly, these batteries have the potential to be reused as a place to store energy as well. Using the batteries for a longer period of time could offset the impact of creating them in the first place. 

Conclusion

Compared to traditional gas vehicles, electric vehicles are the way to go. While their manufacturing process is a cause for concern, we have seen how in all the other aspects of their lifetime they are significantly more efficient than gas vehicles. As we continue to advance our technology electric vehicles will only become even more environmentally safe. 

Bibliography 

Electric avenue: Electric cars on a 2-way street? (2010, March 10). Journal of Engineering, 158. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A220370890/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=6a26cc86

“Electric Vehicles.” Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 25 Sept. 2020, www.pca.state.mn.us/air/electric-vehicles. 

“Emissions from Hybrid and Plug-In Electric Vehicles.” Alternative Fuels Data Center: Emissions from Hybrid and Plug-In Electric Vehicles, afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_emissions.html. 

Folk, E. (2020, June 1). SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION: ELECTRIC VS. GAS. Science Connected. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://magazine.scienceconnected.org/2020/06/sustainable-transportation-electric-vs-gas/

Gonçalves, A. (2020, March 09). Are electric cars really eco-friendly? Maybe not as such much as you think. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://youmatter.world/en/are-electric-cars-eco-friendly-and-zero-emission-vehicles-26440/

Harrabin, R. (2020, March 23). Electric car emissions myth ‘busted’. BBC News. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51977625

Movellan, Junko. “100 Percent Renewable Energy Charged EV Stations Allow Driving on Sunshine.” Renewable Energy World, 7 Apr. 2020, www.renewableenergyworld.com/2015/08/25/100-percent-renewable-energy-charged-ev-stations-allow-driving-on-sunshine/. 

Studies from J.E. da Silva et al Add New Findings in the Area of Sustainability Research (Implementation of a Photovoltaic Panel to Supply Electric Cars Energy Demands). (2018, November 30). Economics Week, 648. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A563286068/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=71076610

“Studies from University of Lyon Provide New Data on Sustainability Research (Should All Cars Be Electric By 2025? the Electric Car Debate In Europe).” Ecology, Environment & Conservation, 14 June 2019, p. 1039. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A588210985/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=3f89488e. Accessed 22 Oct. 2020.