Assessing the Environmental Impact of Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Production

Although electric and hybrid cars create more carbon emissions during their production than standard vehicles, they are still greener overall. This is one of the findings in a report prepared by Ricardo1for, in collaboration with the membership of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership that includes major vehicle manufacturers and oil companies.

The increased emissions created during the production of electric and hybrid vehicles is further compounded by disposal issues. However, overall electric and hybrid vehicles still have lower carbon footprints than fossil fuel powered vehicles.


“This work dispels the myth that low carbon vehicles simply displace emissions from the exhaust to other sources. However, it does highlight the need to look at reducing carbon emissions from vehicles throughout their lifecycle,” said Greg Archer, LowCVP Managing Director.

A 2008 study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, which include emissions from both manufacturing and operating a vehicle, are 32 percent less from plug-in hybrids than from gasoline-powered cars.

Approximately three quarters of the carbon created in production is attributable to the steel used in vehicles. In an electric vehicle almost half (43%) of the carbon created in production arises from the battery. To reduce carbon in vehicle production we need low weight, low carbon alternatives for steel and batteries.

Andy Carroll, Managing director for Eurotax Glass’s, said that the industry will see an evolution towards learning how to estimate the residual value impact of improved technologies and batteries as well as end of life disposal.

Although calculating whole life carbon emissions is complex, it is essential for comprehensive vehicle comparisons.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The dramatically smaller footprint of electric cars varies depending on the source of electricity used to power them. "The types of power plants installed in the next two decades will not only affect how much we can reduce emissions from electricity, but also from vehicles," said Carnegie Mellon engineer Kyle Meisterling.

Newer fossil fuel powered vehicles are much more efficient than previous generations of automobiles, but they are not as efficient as hybrids or fully electric vehicles.

In places like California where tailpipe standards are some of the toughest in the nation, a 2010 gas powered car puts out only 2 percent of the emissions of a 1980s model. However, electric vehicles have a much smaller carbon footprint than even the most efficient fossil fuel powered vehicles.

We should not underestimate the contributions of electric vehicles to our environment. According to Tom Cahill, a professor emeritus of physics at UC Davis, EVs offer "a whole lot of gain in climate change."

All-electric vehicles burn no fossil fuels, and hybrids burn relatively small amounts of gas. The tailpipe emissions from electric cars are zero and hybrids have a significantly reduced emissions profile compared to conventional vehicles. In places like Los Angeles, on some days, the tailpipe emissions of hybrids contain less pollution than the air.

A 2008 study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that America's electricity mix derives 45 percent of electricity from coal, 23 percent from natural gas, 20 percent from nuclear, and 12 percent from dams, solar, wind and other sources. The emissions associated with electric and hybrid vehicles will improve significantly once we reduce the use of fossil fuel powered energy, particularly coal.

One of the most interesting findings of the Carnegie research finds that even when electricity derived from coal is used to power hybrids they emit fewer greenhouse gases than gasoline-powered cars.

In states with cleaner power mixes, plug-in hybrids have less than half the greenhouse gas footprint of conventional gasoline vehicles.

In a recent study, Mark Jacobsen, a professor of civil and environmental engineering found that electric vehicles powered by wind energy were best, with a 99 percent reduction in carbon and air pollution emissions from the current vehicle fleet. Not suprisingly, ethanol ranked last in his study, with the largest carbon footprint.

"There's no technical reason we can't ramp up to a lot more electric vehicles," Jacobsen said. "It's a question of whether society as a whole is motivated to do it."

Andy Carroll, Managing director for Eurotax Glass’s, said the key to making electric vehicles more popular will be for manufacturers to completely remove the risk of residual value in batteries from falling into the hands of the customer.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Assessing the Environmental Impact of Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Production

New Partnerships Manufacturing Greener Cars

Auto companies are pooling their resources to try to gain access to the growing market for hybrid and fully electric vehicles. Research and development partnerships already exist between Renault and Nissan and more recently Toyota and Tesla have agreed to work together.

Now BMW and PSA Peugeot-Citroën are forming a new partnership for the development of electric vehicle components.The partnership has been formed in order to create a standard for electric vehicle technology across the brands to ensure more efficient production and higher quality. Once such a standard is established it is believed that it will allow the electric vehicle market to grow much faster. They will also work together to develop hybrid technology and the software needed to allow a hybrid system to work efficiently.

Daimler AG, bought 10% of Tesla, and is working on a partnership agreement with Renault Nissan to develop small electric cars. Renault Nissan has partnered with Mitsubishi which promises electric versions of all new car models.

These are just a few examples of companies teaming up to share the formidable costs of developing hybrid and fully electric powertrains.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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