Electric cars in Europe produce, on average, about a third of the lifecyle CO2 emissions of equivalent petrol or diesel cars according to a new online tool developed by Transport & Environment, the Brussels-based NGO.
The tool draws on the most up-to-date data to allow users to compare the vehicles in several different scenarios based on vehicle segment, where the battery was produced, and in what country the car was driven. It also allows users to compare cars driven in 2020 and 2030, when the EU electricity grid is expected to be supplied to a much greater extent by renewable energy.
The tool shows that even in the worst case scenario, an electric car with a battery produced in China and driven in Poland still emits 22% less CO2 than an equivalent diesel and 28% less than petrol. In the best case scenario, an electric car with a battery produced in Sweden and driven in Sweden can emit 80% less CO2 than the equivalent diesel and 81% less than petrol.
The tool’s findings echo those in an
independent study published recently in the journal Nature Sustainability which were reported by LowCVP last month.
Critics of EVs have argued that when their full carbon footprint is taken into account they deliver negligible emissions savings compared to conventional cars. The Nature Sustainability study and T&E's work are part of a growing consensus that this is simply not the case.