Study: electric vehicles account for more CO2 than diesels

[Angel Eyes]

http://www.brusselstimes.com/business/technology/15050/electric-vehicles-emit-more-co2-than-diesel-ones,-german-study-shows

When CO2 emissions linked to the production of batteries and the German energy mix - in which charcoal still plays an important role - are taken into consideration, electric vehicles emit 11% to 28% more than their diesel counterparts, according to the study, presented on Wednesday at the Ifo Institute in Munich.

Mining and processing the lithium, cobalt and manganese used for batteries consumes up a great deal of energy. A Tesla Model 3 battery, for example, represents between 11 and 15 tonnes of CO2. Given a lifetime of 10 years and an annual travel distance of 15,000 kilometres, this translates into 73 to 98 grams of CO2 per kilometre, scientists Christoph Buchal, Hans-Dieter Karl and Hans-Werner Sinn note in their study.

The original title "Electric vehicles emit more CO2 than diesel ones" is misleading.  They are counting CO2 emissions from the mining, processing, and manufacturing processes.

Of course, CO2 is only one of the pollutants emitted by diesels, so we're not seeing a comprehensive view of all pollution from either type of vehicle.

[Ben]

Yeah, they may be picking and choosing output factors. Still, it's kinda comical coming from Europe, where years ago diesels were everywhere partly because of the MPGs.

[Firethorn]

I remember a study like this one, but when somebody got deep into it they found out that they were using older figures for the refining of lithium, overstating the CO2 compared to modern processes.

That said, one can easily game studies like this by controlling the annual miles and lifespans.


Also charcoal is an important fuel?  Are they sure it isn't coal they're talking about?