We often hear that electric vehicles (EVs) are better for the planet, but just how true is this statement? NPR correspondent Camila Domonoske answered this question, exploring whether EVs are really as green as they are deemed to be.
When asked if electric cars are better for the environment, Domonoske gives a short and straightforward answer: “EVs are cleaner.” However, the longer answer is based on factors like battery production and power generation. Domonoske explains that building an electric car produces more carbon emissions at first because of its battery, but that disadvantage doesn’t last. Once driven, “gasoline-powered cars catch up and then have a much bigger footprint over time than the EVs do.”
The mining of minerals for batteries, like lithium and cobalt, raises environmental and ethical concerns: runoff, waste, and poor labor conditions. But the fossil fuels used for gas cars also carry their own problems: oil spills, pollution-related deaths, and corrupt regimes funded by oil. Both types of cars depend on mining but in different ways. Thea Riofrancos, a political scientist, notes, “ongoing mining is needed to extract the oil that becomes the gasoline that power cars.” In contrast, EVs’ impacts are mostly upfront, and as time goes on, the EVs cause less harm overall. According to PNAS, the environmental impact of an electric car breaks even with the gas car at 17,671 miles.
Domonoske also points out that battery recycling could make EVs even greener. Reusing materials like lithium and nickel reduces waste by limiting the need for new mining and cutting the carbon footprint of production. Once difficulties in battery disposings are addressed as recycling technology improves, the environmental cost of each new battery will continue to shrink.
Even so, Domonoske and Riofrancos agree that the best option for greener transportation isn’t a car at all. Public transportation and bikes are the way to go. For those who drive, choosing smaller EVs with smaller batteries leaves a lighter carbon footprint. While electric cars aren’t perfect, they remain a major step toward a cleaner future.
Source:
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/09/1250212212/ev-batteries-environmental-impact
