Is your made-in-China electric vehicle truly environmentally friendly?
- Emissions linked to EV batteries can be substantial, particularly batteries produced in coal-heavy China, Capital Economics analyst says
- EV and battery supply chains adopting renewable energy is key to EVs fulfilling their promise: Greenpeace East Asia
The short answer is yes. EVs do help bring down emissions as compared to conventional cars, but it gets complicated when considering emissions during an EV’s life cycle, from production and charging to disposal. It will take further decarbonisation throughout the EV and battery supply chains to fully realise EVs’ full green potential.
Emissions during an EV’s life cycle
EVs normally start their life with a higher “carbon debt” than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, due to the additional emissions generated during the mining and refining of battery materials, such as nickel, cobalt and lithium, according to analysts. Emissions are also generated in the production of electricity in the country where the EV and its battery are made and charged.
“The emissions embodied in EV batteries can be substantial, particularly when it comes to batteries produced in coal-heavy China, where a sizeable chunk of battery metals are also currently refined,” David Oxley, head of climate economics at London-based economic research company Capital Economics, said in a report this month.