According to foreign media reports, the latest report from the International Commission on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows that with the increase in sustainable energy in Europe, pureElectric vehicleThe environmental performance over the life cycle has significantly surpassed that of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. The report said that the new generation of pure electric vehicles will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 73% compared to gasoline vehicles, an increase of 24 percentage points from the 2021 forecast.
Image source: ICCT
ICCT researcher Marta Negri pointed out that in addition to using renewable energy for charging and production, the energy efficiency of pure electric vehicles is also improving. “BEVs in Europe are becoming greener at a faster rate than expected, outperforming all other technologies, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids,” Marta Negri said in a statement. ”
In contrast, full hybrid models and plug-in hybrid models have only achieved minor environmental improvements in recent years, according to ICCT. The data shows that the full life cycle emissions of hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are 20% and 30% lower than gasoline vehicles, respectively.
“Under the EU average fuel and power mix, only battery electric vehicles can achieve large-scale lifecycle greenhouse gas reductions,” the report emphasized. “The study is based on the sales-weighted characteristics of compact cars sold in the EU in 2023 and assumes a vehicle life cycle of 20 years. In addition, ICCT cited EU data stating that renewable energy such as solar and wind energy is expected to account for 86% of Europe’s energy mix by 2045.
Notably, LCA methods provide a more comprehensive standard for measuring carbon footprints than exhaust emissions, covering the entire process from raw material extraction, component manufacturing, production, energy consumption (including energy production methods) to end-of-life disposal or recycling.
Supporters believeLife cycle assessmentThe methodology is more accurate than current standards that focus on exhaust emissions, while critics point out that life cycle data can be selectively manipulated. While acknowledging that “individual LCA studies may yield different or even contradictory results given the inconsistency in the scope and methodology of the study,” the ICCT also noted that earlier LCA studies “have repeatedly demonstrated that BEVs eliminate tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions and represent the most promising pathway to rapidly reduce lifecycle emissions.”
Critics of battery electric vehicles argue that carbon emissions from battery production are often too high to be offset by zero tailpipe emissions. The ICCT acknowledged this claim in its report, but said that this “emissions debt” can be offset after the vehicle has traveled 17,000 kilometers.
The European Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) are currently working to harmonize the measurement methodology for life cycle assessment. Starting next year, automakers will be able to voluntarily report the lifecycle emissions of their vehicles using the Commission’s methodology.
ICCT data shows that based on the European average grid (assuming the current mixed ratio of renewable and non-renewable energy), gasoline and battery electric vehicles have life-cycle emissions of 235 grams of CO2 per kilometer and 63 grams of CO2 per kilometer, respectively, compared to 163 g/km for plug-in hybrids and 188 g/km for full hybrid vehicles.
The report argues that EV lifecycle emissions are often overestimated because these assessments are based on static grid structures rather than assuming that the proportion of renewable energy will continue to increase. In addition, shorter life cycle assumptions (less than 20 years) tend to be detrimental to EVs. At the same time, it is worth noting that there are also differences between testing and actual use, for example, on-board monitoring found that plug-in hybrid vehicles emit 3.5 times more emissions than the test results due to infrequent charging by the owner.
The study also found that BEVs also have more advantages in emissions during maintenance due to their simple construction. ICCT said that if these factors are not taken into account, battery electric vehicles may have 64% higher lifecycle emissions. The report concludes that when these factors are included, the emission levels of battery electric vehicles appear to be comparable to those of plug-in hybrid vehicles.