Electric vehicles are not worse for the environment than gas-powered cars because of battery production.

Question

Many claim that electric cars are actually worse than gas-powered vehicles, usually focused on the environmental costs of mining things like lithium, cobalt, and nickel used in EV battery life. Various independent lifecycle studies, however, have concluded EVs produce less overall pollution than gasoline-powered cars, even accounting for producing battery packs and electricity. There is certainly more environmental effect in the production of batteries, but this is regained after a few years of use with zero tailpipe emissions.

Answer 1

I agree with this statement. My articles discuss the same points you have made with your claim. The US EPA article says, "The greenhouse gas emissions associated with an electric vehicle over its lifetime are typically lower than those from an average gasoline-powered vehicle, even when accounting for manufacturing." This shows how gasoline-powered vehicles are mainly ruining our environment, not electricity-powered ones. This article does state how electricity-powered vehicles could be harming the environment, but it doesn't compare to the gasoline-powered vehicles.

https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/23/do-electric-cars-really-produce-fewer-carbon-emissions-than-petrol-or-diesel-vehicles?

Comments

I agree with your point, and I found the same in my research. Even with battery production, EVs still cause fewer emissions over their lifetime than gas cars. Great use of the EPA quote!

Answer 2

Yes, this claim is correct. UC Santa Barbara's Institute for Energy Efficiency says that for electric vehicles (EVs) the production of batteries uses decarbonized energy, which yields lower emissions. Emissions are expected to drop even more in the future as more renewable energy is used to produce EV batteries. "Overall, every electric car will produce fewer emissions than its petrol equivalent, no matter where they are charged... electric cars have much lower overall carbon emissions, and that will continue to drop as electricity gets greener." This is also supported by EPA's Green Vehicle Guide which says that even with manufacturing of EVs in account, they produce much lower greenhouse gas emissions in its lifetime than a fuel-powered car. They also explain that EV battery replacements due to failures are uncommon, which further proves that EVs are much better for the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions than a car that uses gasoline.

Answer 3

Under the current climate crisis, there is increasing concern to find the least environmentally costly technologies. This claim explores this by comparing the environmental impact of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). The claim specifically focuses battery production and the associated mining of lithium, cobalt, and nickel affect EVs’ environmental sustainability.

Environmental life cycle assessments of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) conclude that overall the production phase of EVs is “substantially more environmentally intensive.” (Hawkins et al., 2013) The higher environmental cost of EV production is largely due to the mining and processing of metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel can lead to ecosystem damage, water scarcity, and pollution. Kurkin et al. (2024) found that EV production requires 6 times more natural resources, consumes 4.5 times more fresh water, and emits 1.65 times more harmful substances. This shows the numerous ways that the production of EV batteries can cause environmental damage.

Despite this, many studies conclude that the overall life cycle emissions of EVs remain lower than ICEVs in most cases. This is primarily because EVs have no tailpipe emissions and are generally more energy efficient during their operational life. Hawkins et al. (2013) highlight that the environmental benefits of EVs are highly dependent on the electricity mix used to charge EVs. Using electricity generated from renewable energy sources see greater reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, Del Pero et al. (2018) identifies that increasing the life cycle mileage of an EV also reduces it environmental impact.

To conclude, the claim that EVs have a reduced environmental impact due to their battery production is false. In fact, their production is considered the most damaging part of their life cycle for a number of reasons, as explored. It is only over their entire life cycle that EVs can be considered not as environmentally damaging as ICEVs. 

Del Pero et al:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452321618301690

Hawkins et al:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00532.x

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Kurkin el al:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/11/2747

Answer 4

While it's true that EV battery production—especially mining for lithium, cobalt, and nickel—has environmental impacts, EVs still have a smaller total environmental footprint over their lifetime compared to gasoline-powered vehicles. This is because gas cars emit large amounts of CO₂ throughout their lifespan, while EVs can run on cleaner electricity, especially as power grids shift to renewables. Over time, EVs offset the emissions from battery production with significantly lower emissions during use.

https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2021/02/20/farhad-manjoo-problem/

Answer 5

I agree with this claim. I like how you start your argument by mentioning negative aspects of EVs, such as the battery. When doing research, I found that though the battery can be an issue, consistent steps have been taken to mitigate this. For example, in an article titled "The role of critical minerals in clean energy transitions," I found that battery recycling has been improving vastly over the past couple of years. This, in turn, removes a lot of the negative footprint left on the environment. Also, the battery life is longer than typically expected and is only improving. This means that EVs are not only good for the environment due to producing less greenhouse gases, but also are gradually improving on the negative impacts as well.

https://www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-clean-energy-transitions