The Complex Reality of Electric Vehicles
In our environmentally conscious society, the emergence of electric vehicles (EVs) has
been deemed a significant stride towards mitigating the ecological issues linked with
conventional internal combustion engines. The adoption of EVs in our daily commutes has been
accompanied by bold claims of diminished greenhouse gas emissions, better air quality, and a
more sustainable trajectory for our future. However, this optimistic portrayal masks a more
complex and less favorable reality. This paper intends to cast light upon the overlooked aspects
of the EV industry, revealing how the advertised environmental advantages are counterbalanced
by detrimental production practices. Through a comprehensive analysis, we aim to demonstrate
that the environmental footprint of EVs may not represent the significant improvement over
conventional vehicles that many believe. By challenging the assumption of EVs as a
straightforward path to eco-friendly transportation, this research provides a critical perspective
on the actual environmental implications of the growing shift towards electric mobility.
Sustainable transportation is now more important than ever, so understanding the true impact of
electric vehicles is not just a matter of interest, it is a fundamental duty. We must ask ourselves:
do electric vehicles represent a truly sustainable transportation solution, or do they risk causing
more harm to the environment?
As we begin the exploration into this complex topic, we notice the reality of the situation
is often subject to concealment from many companies involved in electric vehicle production.
Automotive manufacturers such as Ford, GM, Hyundai, and Toyota, all plan to adopt a fully
electric fleet of production vehicles within the next few years. However, recent information has
surfaced in regard to these manufacturers taking a step back from EV production in attempt to
reconsider the possibilities of a fully electric industry. In the early stages of EV production, the
2
overall benefits of battery-operated vehicles seemed incredible – zero tailpipe emissions, lower
maintenance, longer lifespan, etc. However, we were ignorant to disregard the entirety of the
vehicle’s lifespan – production, use, and disposal. As Pipitone and colleagues (2021) discusses,
EVs in fact produce zero emissions while on the road, however the manufacturing process of the
lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles produce a significantly more amount of
greenhouse gas emissions when compared to the production of regular combustion vehicles. This
study also considers the process of mining lithium from various places around the globe,
transporting it to the necessary manufacturing plants, and producing the batteries for the cars.
This extensive process is often overlooked when talking about the “efficiency” of electric cars.
To substantiate the critique of electric vehicles, we must consider the environmental toll
of producing lithium-ion batteries. Research by Schmid (2017) suggests that an EV would need
to travel up to 151,000 kilometers before its carbon dioxide emissions break even with those of a
standard petrol car. Additionally, the energy investment for fabricating an average EV
approximates to about 60,000 Megajoules, equivalent to nearly 490 gallons of gasoline. This
amount of gasoline could fill a conventional car 35 times over. Therefore, opting for a standard
petrol vehicle over a new EV potentially allows for the consumption of 35 guilt-free tanks of
gasoline and still ahead due to the energy used to make the EV's batteries.
As mentioned previously, emissions from lithium factories are nothing to be ignored, but
arguably even more detrimental to the environment is the harmful collection process of materials
used for battery production, and the extensive shipping logistics that are required to transport the
raw materials. Electric car batteries are complex components containing many rare earth
elements like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite. These elements (as the name suggests) are
quite rare and very difficult to extract from the Earth. That said, the methods by which we collect
3
these essential materials are very unsustainable and produce a significant amount of greenhouse
gas (Pirmana et al., 2023). Lithium mining has significant environmental impacts. The extraction
process usually involves mining lithium-rich ores from the Earth, which can result in
deforestation, soil erosion, habitat destruction, and disruption of ecosystems. Water and soil
contamination, toxic waste production, biodiversity loss, and ground destabilization are also
major consequences of such invasive procedures. These effects are often overlooked as
consumers concentrate on the energy efficiency gained during the operation of their vehicles, all
the while neglecting the production process behind the very cars they are driving.
Transitioning from the production processes of EVs, we must also consider the
infrastructure required to charge these vehicles. In grasping the complexity of the infrastructure
necessary for a fully electric vehicle charging network, Salmon (2016) observes that the financial
requirements and energy demands involved in establishing such a system would be neither
economically feasible nor ecologically sustainable. As of now, the EV charging stations are the
most environmentally friendly part of electric vehicle ownership. Electric vehicle charging
stations are commonly powered by renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power,
which are more sustainable alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. That said, with the current
number of EV’s on the road today, the number of charging stations available to consumers is just
enough. With government mandates pushing the adoption of electric vehicles onto consumers
and increasing the number overall number of EVs, the charging infrastructure required to support
an entirely electric transportation network is just not feasible. In order to supply that amount of
power, renewable energy sources would have to be substituted for less sustainable alternatives,
such as fossil fuels, in turn producing more C02 emissions into the environment and
counteracting the benefits of electric vehicles.
4
Lastly, one of the most important considerations that is often forgotten about – lithium
battery disposal. Think about how many electronic devices you have used throughout your life,
like your cell phone for example. Notice how your phone doesn’t hold a charge as long after two
years compared to when it was new? That’s because lithium batteries age. It’s totally normal.
With continued use, the battery’s chemical compound weakens and won’t hold a charge as long.
That’s all fine and dandy when it’s a cellphone, but what about an electric car that has a battery
10,000 times larger than your phone? What happens when that battery ages and you can’t drive
to the grocery store and back without needing a charge? Seems like it’s time for a replacement.
Not only is that expensive, but it’s also considerably harmful to the environment when not
disposed of properly. We can already see today how improper lithium disposal is contaminating
waterways and disrupting ecosystems from the use of landfills. This is only with 5.3% of all cars
in Canada being electric, and furthermore, EVs haven’t been on the road long enough for their
batteries to degrade. What happens when we convert to a fully electric transportation network,
and after a few years all of a sudden, we have millions of pounds of lithium batteries that need to
be disposed of? Our planet can’t handle that. As Notter et al., (2010) discusses, EV battery
disposal is going to be the deciding factor in the practicality of electric vehicle adoption. Our
society is too narrow minded to realize the imminent effects of EV production, and soon our
harmful actions are going to catch up to us.
So, what does this all mean? We’ve talked about the importance of understanding the
environmental implications of the entire lifecycle of EVs, but what this really shines light on is
the sustainability of the electric vehicle initiative. As mentioned above, it is clear that the
environmental sustainability of EVs is much more complex than often portrayed by industry
professionals. The full lifecycle of EVs - from mining lithium for batteries to the energy
5
consumed in their manufacturing and charging networks - casts a shadow on their supposed
“green” credentials. What we need to understand is that electric vehicles are not necessarily
unsustainable, but we are demanding an adoption timeline that is much too quick for our
technology and our planet to handle. The path we are currently on is contributing a significant
amount of environmental degradation through the manufacturing of lithium batteries for the
considerably high demand of EVs. Furthermore, the cost of creating and maintaining the
requisite infrastructure for a fully electric fleet, the price volatility of raw materials for batteries,
and the significant energy demands for charging millions of vehicles, collectively suggest an
economic model that could strain both resources and consumer finances. EVs could indeed be
the way of the future, but we need to be patient in the transition process, and ensure we are not
exploiting our planet’s natural resources. As we stand at the crossroads of an automotive
revolution, this analysis compels a re-evaluation of our trajectory towards truly sustainable
transportation, highlighting the necessity for a more comprehensive approach that encompasses
all aspects of environmental stewardship.
6
Tentative References
Notter, D. A., Gauch, M., Widmer, R., Wäger, P., Stamp, A., Zah, R., & Althaus, H.-J. (2010).
Contribution of li-ion batteries to the environmental impact of electric vehicles.
Environmental Science & Technology, 44(17), 6550-6556.
Pirmana, V., Alisjahbana, A.S., Yusuf, A.A., Hoekstra, R., Tukker, A. (2023). Economic and
environmental impact of electric vehicles production in Indonesia. Clean Technologies
and Environmental Policy, 25, 1871–1885.
Pipitone, E., Caltabellotta, S., & Occhipinti, L. (2021). A life cycle environmental impact
comparison between traditional, hybrid, and electric vehicles in the European context.
Sustainability, 13(19), 10992.
Salmon, J. (2016). Systems optimization of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. 2016
Annual IEEE Systems Conference (SysCon), 1-8.
Schmid, A. (2017). An analysis of the environmental impact of electric vehicles. Missouri S&T’s
Peer to Peer, 1(2).