Electric Vehicles: The Path to a Greener Future

Are electric vehicles really the greener option???

This week let’s dive deeper into the topic of electric vehicles. When you look at the full lifecycle - are they really all that green? The answer is yes.??

A 2021 white paper by The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) conducted a lifecycle assessment on the greenhouse gas emissions of passenger cars for Europe, the United States and China.

There are quite a number of factors that need to be considered when comparing the lifecycle emissions of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) compared to internal combustion engines (ICE), such as manufacturing, usage, and electricity sources.

Nonetheless, the studies show that BEVs have “by far the lowest life-cycle GHG emissions” although the degree to which this is true does depend on location. As the electricity mix continues to decarbonise, the life-cycle emissions gap between BEVs and gasoline vehicles is expected to substantially increase. ?

Source: A global comparison of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of combustion engine and electric passenger cars - International Council on Clean Transportation (theicct.org )?

This finding was further supported by research produced by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and McKinsey and Company .??

South Africa on track for green EV charging stations??

What is also encouraging is that in South Africa we are on our way to getting a national network of solar powered electric vehicle charging stations (article by CleanTechnica). A company called Zero Carbon Charge (ZCC) has plans on building a network of renewable energy charging stations across the country starting with Wolmaransstad in the Northwest province. The charging stations generate electricity on-site using solar PV with backup generators fuelled by hydrotreated vegetable oil.

?The network will use DC ultra-fast charging points as well as AC charge points for plug-in hybrids. A DC charging station can charge an EV to 80% in about 20 minutes. The plan is to have the full network of charging stations operational by September 2025. This is very encouraging because the electricity mix plays a significant role in how much the use of electric vehicles contributes to decarbonisation. In South Africa, where our electricity mix is heavily coal dependent, the option to charge electric vehicles using renewable energy will certainly have a positive impact. ?

There is also an anticipated social benefit from these charging stations as each station will include a farm stall which will help provide local jobs in rural areas. Additionally, landowners will earn 5% of the revenue generated from vehicle charging on their land, and a percentage of revenue will also be reinvested in local socio-economic development initiatives. You can read more about Zero Carbon Charge here . ?

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Brooke L. is a Senior Portfolio and ESG Analyst at RisCura. Her areas of expertise range from the energy sector, BEE/transformation, and international trade.