Which is more harmful: An electric car or a gasoline car?

Are electric cars an eco-friendly alternative to traditional cars?

In recent years, electric vehicles have become increasingly popular in the market. They are seen as crucial to achieving zero carbon emissions: developed countries, such as the EU, Japan, and the US, plan to achieve this by 2050.

Electric cars are considered an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines or diesel engines. They are featured in the lineups of many leading manufacturers, including Volvo, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi. Their sales are growing: 14 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide in 2023, a 35% increase over 2022. Sales are projected to grow by another quarter in 2024.

At first glance, electric cars appear to be more environmentally friendly than traditional cars. They produce no tailpipe emissions, meaning they have a zero carbon footprint. However, there is also a counterargument. After all, the very process of generating electricity to charge an electric vehicle pollutes the environment. Critics also often point to the unsustainable nature of battery production.

To determine which vehicles are less environmentally friendly, they need to be compared at all stages of the life cycle, including production, operation, and disposal.

Environmental impact of production

Car body manufacturing has a roughly equal environmental impact regardless of the vehicle type. Battery production is a different matter. The central component of an electric vehicle is the traction battery. This is the energy source that powers the vehicle. Most modern batteries are lithium-ion.

Lithium is mined primarily in hard rock mines or underground brine reservoirs. Most of the energy used to extract and process the metal comes from fossil fuels, which emit CO2. Hard rock mining produces particularly high CO2 emissions: 15 tons for every ton of lithium extracted.

The environmentally unfriendly lithium production process is raising concerns among environmentalists and the public. In August 2024, protests against Rio Tinto’s lithium mine project in Serbia attracted more than 24,000 people.

Besides lithium, battery production requires other metals, including nickel, copper, manganese, and cobalt. Sixty per cent of cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its production is associated not only with environmental but also with social problems, including the extensive use of child labor.

Copper and cobalt quarries in Congo are transforming the country’s landscape (Photo: msuilr.org)

Another raw material-related issue, according to Akim, is the depletion of non-ferrous metal reserves (copper, nickel, etc.), which are required for electric motor production in much greater quantities than for fossil fuel engines. Producing these raw materials is an energy-intensive and toxic process.

The amount of CO2 emitted during battery production varies depending on the sources and types of energy used in the production process. The majority of lithium-ion batteries, approximately 77% of the global supply, are produced in China. Coal is the primary energy source there. It emits approximately twice the greenhouse gases of natural gas, which is also used in high-temperature production.

A traditional car also requires a battery to generate electricity to start the engine. This battery is typically a lead-acid battery. It consists of two electrodes immersed in a sulfuric acid solution.

Lead-acid battery (Photo: rbbattery.com)

The production of a lithium battery emits, on average, 1.7 times more CO2 than that of a lead-acid battery (12.5 tons versus 7.5 tons). These are the results of a study published by Bloomberg NEF in 2024. According to the study’s authors, this difference could be even greater, depending on the energy sources used in production.

Harm during operation

The US-based nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists compared the carbon footprint of two types of cars during their production and operation. The researchers concluded that the combined CO2 emissions of electric cars are 52–27% lower than those of traditional vehicles.

In total, electric vehicles produce 52–57% less CO2 during production and operation than traditional vehicles (Photo: ucsusa.org)

During the manufacturing stage, electric vehicles emit higher amounts of CO2 due to the production of lithium-ion batteries. But this “carbon debt” pays off in the long term. The main CO2 emissions occur during the operation of vehicles, both gasoline and electric. Electric vehicles are cleaner in this regard. Furthermore, their batteries last longer.

The environmental friendliness of electric vehicles directly depends on the region where they are used. Different regions and countries use different resources to generate the electricity that powers them. For example, in Scandinavian countries and California, these are primarily renewable energy sources (hydropower, solar panels, wind turbines) and natural gas, while in China, most electricity is generated by coal. This means that operating electric vehicles in these regions is 2–3 times more environmentally friendly than in China.

In Russia, fossil fuels accounted for 65% of the country’s energy mix at the beginning of 2024. Natural gas, considered a relatively clean energy source, accounts for about half of this share. Coal, a more environmentally problematic energy source, accounts for only 12–13%. Burning coal produces significant carbon dioxide emissions, and its production also releases methane, another greenhouse gas.

The share of clean, low-carbon energy (wind, solar, hydropower, and nuclear) in Russia is 35%. According to the Renewable Energy Development Association (REDA), the total installed capacity of renewable energy sources in Russia has doubled over the past five years.

An electric vehicle’s CO2 emissions depend on the type of energy used to charge it. A gasoline-powered car emits carbon dioxide throughout its entire operation, regardless of where in the world it’s driven. The greenhouse gas emissions of a Tesla Model X in the US are 88 g/km, while a new gasoline-powered car produces an average of 256 g/km of CO2.

Another advantage of electric cars is the fact that driving a car produces not only CO2 but also other harmful substances, such as nitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, in small amounts (up to 10%). Nitrogen dioxide can cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and carbon monoxide poisoning is deadly. Nitrous oxide emissions contribute 265 times more to global warming than carbon dioxide emissions. Particulate matter, such as soot and dust, is carcinogenic.

Cars also pollute the environment when braking. Traditional vehicles use mechanical brakes, which also emit dust particles. In contrast, electric vehicles can use the electric motor for braking (regenerative braking). This method reduces wear on mechanical parts and harmful emissions, and also conserves energy by returning it to the battery for later use. Regenerative braking not only helps reduce the negative impact on the environment but also increases driving range.

Recycling of used batteries

The final stage of any vehicle’s life cycle that impacts the environment is its disposal. This involves the use of resources that can no longer be used for their intended purpose. The most hazardous component of a vehicle is the battery.

Recycling lead-acid batteries, which are now used in almost all gasoline-powered vehicles, is a relatively simple process. A battery consists of lead, its oxide, and an electrolyte (sulfuric acid). These components are easily separated during recycling.

The end result is spent electrolyte, plastic granules, scrap steel, lead, and copper. The scrap, lead, and copper are smelted and then used to manufacture new car batteries. The electrolyte is either neutralized or reduced, producing sulfuric acid again.

In developed countries, 98% of all lead-acid batteries produced are recycled.

During recycling, the casing is first separated and the reusable electronic components are disconnected. Then, everything is shredded. The shredded material is separated into its components: copper and aluminum, rare metals (cobalt, nickel, lithium, manganese), and plastic. These components can be used to produce new batteries.

What’s next?

Overall, electric vehicles are superior to traditional vehicles in terms of environmental friendliness, although some of the CO2 savings achieved by operating an electric vehicle are offset by increased emissions caused by battery production and recycling. According to the aforementioned Bloomberg NEF study, the total CO2 emissions over the entire lifecycle of an electric vehicle, with a range of 250,000 km, are 27–71% lower than those of a conventionally powered vehicle.

While the trend toward increasing electric vehicle adoption is clear, it’s unlikely they will displace other vehicles in the near future.

In my opinion, one of the main problems is the small number of charging stations: “Because of this, there’s a risk of being stuck on the highway without any way to proceed. From the perspective of the average person and the environment, the widespread adoption of hybrids would be a more practical solution.” Hybrids are vehicles that combine electricity and conventional fuel.

Indeed, this year several automakers, including General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Hyundai, and others, have announced plans to introduce hybrids. Hyundai announced plans to reduce production of electric cars and focus on hybrids. These vehicles emit fewer harmful emissions than gasoline-powered vehicles and allow owners to save on fuel.

Hybrid Hyundai Tucson (Photo: hyundai.ee)

Besides the development of hybrids, other fuels may become alternatives to gasoline and electric motors.

One promising area is the use of hydrogen fuel cells. Cars using these emit only water as exhaust and can be more environmentally friendly by using hydrogen generated by solar or wind energy. Research in this area is actively underway, and commercially available hydrogen vehicle models are already available.

For example, Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda have announced plans to jointly develop engines that run on environmentally friendly fuels, including synthetic fuels, biofuels, and liquid hydrogen.

Toyota Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima discusses new engines for future hybrid vehicles (Photo: automotivedive.com)

However, the electric vehicle industry will likely continue to grow: as the share of low-carbon energy sources increases, the transition to electric vehicles will accelerate even more.

illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

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