Are electric vehicles better for the environment than gas-powered vehicles?

Your electric vs gas question gets a nuanced answer — I'll pull the latest life-cycle data to compare.

Yes, generally electric vehicles (EVs) are considered better for the environment than gasoline-powered vehicles on a lifecycle basis, but they are not without environmental impact.

1. Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Lower

Research shows that over the course of their driving lifetimes, EVs will create fewer carbon emissions than gasoline-burning cars under nearly any conditions.

> FACT: The greenhouse gas emissions associated with an electric vehicle over its lifetime are typically lower than those from an average gasoline-powered vehicle, even when accounting for manufacturing

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states:

> FACT: Electric vehicles (EVs) typically have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline cars, even when accounting for the electricity used for charging

Even after accounting for electricity emissions, research shows that an EV is typically responsible for lower levels of greenhouse gases than an average new gasoline car.

Although:

> Some studies have shown that making a typical EV can create more carbon pollution than making a gasoline car. This is because of the additional energy required to manufacture an EV's battery. Still, over the lifetime of the vehicle, total GHG emissions associated with manufacturing, charging, and driving an EV are typically lower than the total GHGs associated with a gasoline car

Researchers note that EVs are not zero-emission:

> “We shouldn't claim victory that with this switch to electric cars, problem solved, we are going to have zero emissions,” he says. “No, that's not the case. But electric cars are actually much, much better in terms of the impact on the climate in comparison to internal combustion vehicles. And in time, that comparative advantage of electric cars is going to grow.”

2. How Much Cleaner?

Estimates vary by study, assumptions, vehicle size and electricity grid, but all point to a large advantage:

A key reason is efficiency:

> EVs use approximately 87%–91% of the energy from the battery and regenerative braking to propel the vehicle. Gasoline vehicles only convert about 16–25% of the energy from gasoline into movement

EVs also have no tailpipe emissions, which improves local air quality:

> The main benefits of electric cars is that they don't produce the emissions that come from the combustion of gasoline, that contribute to climate change, and the other is particulate emissions, small particles that are leftover when we burn gasoline, that can be very harmful to human health
> Electric vehicles don't have tailpipe emissions. They don't even have a tailpipe.

> Importantly, going electric also means taking emissions out of cities, improving local air quality. Even if charging an EV still results in emissions, they are usually produced farther from where many people live.

3. Important Caveats and Environmental Costs

a) Battery Manufacturing

Making a typical EV can create more carbon pollution upfront than making a gasoline car because of the battery. Research by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found battery manufacturing to account for 15% to 20% of an EV's lifecycle emissions.

On average, mining and refining raw materials accounts for about a quarter of total battery production emissions, with lithium and nickel responsible for more than half of that.

Environmental burdens also include water issues from mining lithium and societal costs like forced and child labor in cobalt mines.

b) Electricity Source Matters

> An electric vehicle is only as green as the electricity that goes into it. Those emissions could be zero or nearly zero if that electricity is coming from renewables, such as solar and wind. But on the U.S. electricity grid today, we have a lot of gas and some coal

The vision is that as the grid gets greener, those electric cars that are already on the road will continue to get greener because the fuel we're putting in them have lower and lower carbon footprint.

Even on the dirtiest grid:

> An electric vehicle running on coal has the fuel economy equivalent in the order of about 50 to 60 miles per gallon. So the dirtiest electric vehicle looks something like our best gasoline vehicles

On a clean grid, the equivalent is 110-120 mpg.

c) Mining, Recycling and End-of-Life

Battery production is likely the most environmentally damaging stage in the manufacturing of electric vehicles because of methods required to mine for its raw materials.

Much of that mining is concentrated in places like Russia, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where environmental oversight is often poor.

Extending battery lifetime would reduce environmental pressures associated with nickel or cobalt mining.

Recycling is seen as key to reducing impact:

> To reduce the need for new mining, experts say we're going to have to get a lot better at recycling EV batteries when they die

> Recycling EV batteries can reduce the emissions associated with making an EV by reducing the need for new materials

Bottom Line

Choosing a smaller, more efficient EV, charging with renewable electricity where possible, and supporting recycling/second-life uses further improves the environmental benefit.