Do electric cars perform according to their green image? Can electric cars
counter perform in certain conditions?
To answer these questions, one must study the electric car beginning from
its production, usage till it’s end of lifetime.
Car Production effect on the environment:
According to a study done by the International Council on Clean
Transportation (ICCT), one third of the lifetime CO2 emission from an electric car
come from the production of the car itself [1]. Although the making of an electric
car starts with extraction of raw material that will be turned into components and
then assembled, much as like any conventional fossil fueled car, their
manufacturing process generates more carbon emission [2]. This is mainly due to
the production of very large batteries that comes with a very high environmental
cost. Most batteries that are found in electric cars are made from lithium, nickel,
cobalt, or graphite which are considered as rare earth elements (REE). The mining
and the refinement of these elements are very polluting activities. Moreover, the
production of REE comes at a cost of radioactive residue
[1] https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/EV-life-cycle-GHG_ICCTBriefing_09022018_vF.pdf
[2] https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/ev-batteries