Electric cars & pollution: facts and figures

To mitigate the unprecedented effects of the climate crisis, modern societies present decarbonisation as a key solution. Decarbonisation refers to the process of reducing the amount of CO2 emissions that we put into the atmosphere. 

This blog post focuses on what role electric vehicles can play in the decarbonisation revolution. We’ll also focus on debunking some harmful myths, like the idea that electric vehicles pollute more than standard combustion engines.

Fact: EVs cut emissions in transportation

There is a lot of misinformation out there about the pollution caused by electric cars. For instance, one of the most common arguments against electric vehicles is that their production results in higher emissions than manufacturing internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.

The production of electric car batteries is — like any other human activity — taxing on the environment. Mining and processing lithium and cobalt for batteries causes production processes with a more significant environmental impact. Fortunately, leading companies in the industry are already deploying solutions to reduce the impact of EV battery production on the environment. Besides, EVs compensate for these high production phase emissions with low tailpipe emissions when compared to ICE cars.

Another common complaint is that the batteries in electric cars make them very heavy and, as a result, more likely than conventional ICE cars to wear out the road beneath them and produce harmful particles called non-exhaust particulate matter (PM).

Based on a study done by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, this is not so straightforward. While yes, PM emissions from tire wear can be higher in electric vehicles due to their weight (EVs are generally 40% heavier than their ICE counterparts), PM emissions from braking are usually lower due to something called regenerative braking. Regenerative braking system allows for the kinetic energy from braking to be transformed into electrical power to charge the vehicle.

The study also shows that if at least 15% of electric vehicle's driving happens in city conditions with heavier traffic, their PM emissions are lower than those of ICE cars. The level of both the tire wear and the brake wear particles are highly dependent on environmental and driving conditions. Overall, electric vehicles are still much more environmentally friendly as they do not emit tailpipe emissions.

Figure: EVs have up to 78% lower lifecycle emissions than ICE cars

A lot of studies set out to discover whether or not EVs are more harmful to the environment than ICE cars.

Study done by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) finds that the lifecycle GHG emissions, meaning the environmental impact of a product over its whole lifecycle, is 73% lower for battery electric vehicles (BEV) compared to ICEs. That number goes up to 78% if the electricity used to power the EV comes from renewable sources.

Internal combustion engine vehicles produce the most emissions due to fuel consumption; those are the tailpipe emissions. But it doesn't stop there, ICEs lifecycle emissions are higher also due to fuel production emissions that are much higher compared to electricity production emissions with EVs (even when that electricity doesn't come from renewable sources).

The unique emissions specific to EVs are those coming from battery production. Although these emissions increase EV production emissions by almost 40%, they are offset after 17,000 km of use in the first year or two.

Fact: Recycling can balance the emissions required to produce EVs

When determining the environmental impact of anything, factors must be looked at holistically. In the case of EVs, this means that the seriousness of these production emissions decreases when we look at their low overall environmental impact.

Recycling materials is one way to decrease the lifecycle emissions of electric vehicles. Here again, facts can debunk false beliefs. Based on IEA report from 2024, greater recycling of critical minerals from EV batteries could reduce the need for new mining by almost 40% by 2050.

In 2023, the European Union introduced Battery Regulation, aimed at EV batteries among other battery types, to ensure a sustainable battery lifecycle. From 2028, EV batteries will have to include certain amount of recycled materials such as cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel. The Regulation also introduces targets for recycling and recovery of the most critical materials. According to IEA, global battery recycling capacity could reach 1,500 GWh by 2030.

This Regulation is actively encouraging EV suppliers to find ways to recycle and reuse EV batteries, and the industry is being quite responsive. For instance, Tesla has been recycling all used batteries for a while. When the Tesla Model S battery is recycled, at least 70% of the battery materials will be reused. Other giant manufacturers such as Renault, Nissan and Volkswagen are also recycling EV batteries.

Even though battery recycling is difficult, many specialised recycling companies as well as battery manufacturers and automotive OEMs are coming up with innovative ways to recover rare metals for future use.

Fact: EVs improve air quality

Clean, breathable air is something that many of us take for granted. However, those who face the reality of pollution daily know firsthand the repercussions of poor air quality.

Driving an electric vehicle means you're not adding harmful CO2 into the atmosphere. And the benefits of that go far beyond the driver alone. A study from the Keck School of Medicine at USC analysed data on zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) registrations, air pollution, and asthma-related emergency room visits across California between 2013 and 2019. The results were clear: as ZEV adoption went up, both pollution levels and asthma-related hospital visits went down.

CO2 emissions don’t just impact those behind the wheel, they affect everyone. Fewer high-emitting vehicles on the road means cleaner air, healthier communities, and a more pleasant experience for anyone living in or passing through urban areas.

Figure: A quarter of Europe's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comes from the transportation sector

Unfortunately, this is true.

Transportation is a field where all consumers can make an impact with their decisions. The long-term goal is to power electric transportation only with renewables. Coal-powered electric cars are not green, but they surely are one step closer to a decarbonised world. Investments in lock-in technologies, such as ICE cars, force us to stick with those for decades.

Fact: EVs reduce noise pollution

While it’s true that air pollution is a problem worth worrying about, did you know that noise pollution can have a surprisingly adverse effect on human life as well? Not only does an excess of noise make our cities unpleasant to live in, but consistent loud noise has also been linked to heart, sleep or cognitive problems. Only in Europe, more than 20% of Europeans is exposed to harmful noise levels.

The transportation sector is mainly responsible for the noise pollution that most of us encounter daily, and while planes and trains do account for some of this, the vast majority is due to road vehicles. Electric vehicles make some noise when wheels interact with pavement, but they’re much more silent compared to conventional cars with engines that can produce sound between 60 to 80db (any sound over 75db has the potential to damage our hearing). EVs are so silent, in fact, that the EU had to introduce a legal requirement for EVs to emit at least 56db of noise, not to potentially become dangerous for pedestrians.

Fact: Electric vehicles are a part of the bigger picture when solving the climate crisis

As more and more industries switch over to being powered by electricity in the interest of the climate crisis, the electricity demand will become much greater. According to IEA, EVs will account for around 4% of global electricity consumption by 2030, up from 0,7% in 2024. Our current grid might find this increase hard to keep up with.

Having said that, electric vehicles will play a part in stabilising the grid thanks to smart charging and, most importantly, vehicle-to-grid solutions. Smart charging makes it possible to find the optimal time to recharge when the demand on the grid is lower. V2G technology takes it one step further and turns electric cars into batteries on wheels by making it possible to transfer the energy stored in batteries back to the grid when necessary. This becomes especially interesting with the growth of renewable energies as their production tends to fluctuate.

EVs basically become battery storages and the saving grace of energy utilities in the future. By the 2040s, electric vehicles will add up to over 30 TWh of installed battery storage capacity. For utilities, EVs offer cheap energy storage, with no capital cost and relatively low operating costs.

(Good) change is around the corner

What all studies tell us is that the increase in popularity of EVs is a good thing. What’s more, with electric cars already reaching price parity with ICEs in specific use cases such as company fleets and with 1 in 4 new cars sold in Europe being electric, we expect the electric vehicle trend to keep expanding.

One thing is certainly clear - what’s good news for our planet is also good news for us.