Electric Vehicles: Are they really Green, Emission-free and Sustainable?

Are EV really Green and Sustainable when we consider the complete Life Cycle of EVs; including the Manufacturing process of Lithium based batteries, pollution caused their mining process, issues with disposal of expired batteries and their impact on environment?

The Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles (EVs)

As per one report, 75%?of the world’s total CO2?emissions propelled in recent years by developing economies come from road transportation. India contributes about?291 million tonnes?of CO2 out of the 795 million tonnes emitted in Asian economies. CO2 emissions from the transportation industry alone experienced a threefold increase in the last decade. In response to this, the Electric Vehicle (EV) market has expanded. Given the ever-growing fuel prices and the promise to deliver a green alternative to traditional ICE based vehicles, EVs have gained incredible traction in recent years. While the principle of lower emissions is very promising, the environmental impact of battery production is still a point for debate.

While electric vehicles (EVs) are generally considered more environmentally friendly than traditional petroleum-based-fuel powered cars, their overall sustainability depends on several factors, including the battery manufacturing process, transportation of these lithium-based batteries from their manufacturing plants to the EV Manufacturer’s assembly plants (this is the most ignored point while calculating the carbon-footprint of EVs), battery disposal process/facilities and the source of electricity used to charge them.

Manufacturing Cycle and Lithium Mining

• Resource Extraction: Lithium mining has significant environmental impacts, including habitat destruction, water pollution, high water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Processing and Refining: The process of refining lithium ore into battery-grade lithium compounds is also extremely energy-intensive and damaging to the environment.
• Battery transportation: EV transportation from battery manufacturing plant to the EV assembly plants; which could be across continents may require deploying multiple modes of transport before the EV batteries actually get fitted in a EV as a finished product. This transportation results in sizable amount of emissions and is ignored by most analysts while calculating actual carbon footprint of given EV model.

Battery Disposal

• Recycling Challenges: Recycling lithium-ion batteries is still a complex and costly process and it is not always efficient.
• Environmental Concerns: This is a serious issue. Improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries can lead to pollution and health risks due to the release of hazardous materials. Especially, here in India, where people still try to ignore industry recommendations and avoid following government guidelines to dispose-off expired batteries, it poses a more serious problem, which cannot be ignored.

Electricity Source

• Renewable Energy: If EVs are charged using renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, their environmental impact will be significantly reduced. But how much percentage of energy currently available/consumed in India is generated through sustainable/renewable sources? It is around 40 to 45% currently. I am sure with the serious focus from Indian Government in increasing Green Energy; this will improve to much better levels. Once we surpass 75% or more percentage of overall energy generated in India through renewable sources, we will have a much better and sound sustainability in the field of automobiles/mobility.
• Fossil Fuels: If EVs are charged using electricity generated from fossil fuels, their emissions may be similar to or rather higher than traditional ICE Cars (petrol/diesel powered cars). While such sights (depicted here in this graphic below) are not very common, some EV Charging Station operators fall to the temptation of making quick money; while undoing the very essence of Green-Mobility by using Diesel-powered generators to feed the EV charging infrastructure. Therefore, I recommend hybrid power generation solutions (Solar + Wind-turbine) to the EV charging service providers & operators.

Government Policies

Policy Enforcements: Government policy certainly plays a crucial role in promoting better and greener mobility across different states in India.

Investment in Infrastructure

• Public Transportation: Different state governments are investing in expanding and improving public transportation systems, such as metro railways, EV Flees to operate intra-city buses (Municipal Bus Transport) and promote e-Rickshaw by extending financing. This has encouraged people to choose public transport over private vehicles, reducing traffic congestion and emissions to a certain extent.
• Charging Infrastructure: For electric vehicles, different state governments are investing in charging stations to make it easier for people to adopt electric vehicles. Better availability of EV charging infrastructure in urban region and also across highways would help people (like me) in overcoming the range anxiety and ultimately make the switch from pure ICE based personal mobility to EV based option(s).
• Cycling and Walking Infrastructure: Building dedicated cycling lanes, pedestrian walkways and safe pedestrian crossings works in most western countries, in promoting better percentage of passengers making use of public transportation and reduce reliance on cars. I personally feel, here in India, we are little far away in this aspect.

Incentives and Subsidies

• Tax Breaks: Offering tax breaks or incentives for purchasing electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles or public transportation passes can encourage people to make greener choices. For example, the tax benefits given by Uttar Pradesh state government has positively helped in boosting the adaptation of EVs and Hybrid vehicles in the state. Other Indian state governments too are helping their citizens to adopt the greener mobility option.
• Subsidies: Providing subsidies for the installation of solar panels or other renewable energy sources to feed the EV charging infrastructure will promote sustainable and emission-free transportation.

Regulations and Standards

• Emission Standards: Implementing stricter emission standards for vehicles encourages manufacturers to develop cleaner and more efficient vehicles. Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) has played crucial role in reducing vehicular emissions in India.
• Fuel Efficiency Standards: Setting fuel efficiency standards incentivizes the development of more fuel-efficient vehicles. We are able to see a trend of using relatively smaller displacement (CC) engines in newly launched cars. The large V6 engines seen in earlier performance oriented passenger vehicles are increasingly being replaced with more powerful, yet more efficient smaller displacement (CC) engines.
• Traffic Management: Implementing traffic management measures, such as congestion pricing or intelligent transportation systems, can improve traffic flow and reduce emissions. Instead of depending on such financial models to charge more to encourage commuters for taking public transport (at least during peak hours); I promote better and thoughtful invest in ATCS based traffic management systems to enable smoother movement of vehicles across metropolitan regions and reduce congestion, lower emissions, save time of millions of commuters and save on fuel-cost.

Urban Planning

• Compact Cities: Promoting compact urban development can reduce the need for long commutes and increase the walkability of cities. I know, this will work in relatively low population countries; but here in India, we should take efforts to do better city-planning to move large offices away from the crowded city-centres and let the cities grow towards the outskirts; thereby enabling organic growth of the metropolitan regions and also let semi-urban areas grow/develop into proper urban areas.
• Mixed-Use Development: Creating mixed-use developments that combine residential, commercial and recreational areas can reduce the need for personal-car-based travel to a certain extent.

By implementing these policies, state governments can create a more sustainable and efficient transportation system that benefits both the environment and society.

?

Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV)

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) offer several advantages over Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), making them a promising alternative for certain applications.

Let us take a quick look at some of the key differences and advantages:

Range and Refuelling Time

• Longer Range: FCEVs generally have a longer range than BEVs on a single tank of fuel, making them more suitable for long-distance travel.
• Faster Refuelling: FCEVs can be refuelled in a matter of minutes, similar to traditional gasoline vehicles, while BEVs can take hours to recharge.

Infrastructure

• Fewer Charging Stations: While the number of charging stations for BEVs is increasing, FCEVs require fewer refuelling stations, making them more practical for long-distance travel.

Efficiency

• Higher Efficiency: FCEVs can be more efficient than BEVs in certain driving conditions, especially at higher speeds.

Payload Capacity

• Heavier Loads: FCEVs can often carry heavier loads than BEVs due to the lighter weight of their fuel cells compared to batteries.

Emissions

• Zero Tailpipe Emissions: Both FCEVs and BEVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, but FCEVs can have a much lower overall-carbon-footprint if the hydrogen used to fuel.

Overall Assessment

• Reduced Tailpipe Emissions: EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, which can significantly improve air quality in urban areas.
• Long-Term Impact: The long-term environmental impact of EVs depends on factors such as the source of electricity, battery manufacturing processes and recycling efficiency.
• Technological Advancements: It is encouraging to see that the ongoing research and developments are focused on improving the overall sustainability of EV batteries and reducing their environmental footprint.
• Policy Enforcements: By implementing policies stated in the section above, state governments can create a more sustainable and efficient transportation system that benefits both the environment and society
• FCEV offer a better solution: While ensuring Zero-Tail-Pipe-Emissions, FCEVs also help us overcome the challenges / issues caused by Lithium-based batteries.

?

In conclusion, while EVs offer significant environmental benefits compared to traditional petroleum-powered vehicles, their overall sustainability depends on various factors. The transition to a more sustainable transportation and green urban mobility future will require continued efforts to improve the environmental impact of EV manufacturing, proper battery disposal systems and the sources of electricity used to charge them.