From Cradle To Grave, Electric Vehicles Have Fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Gas Vehicles - CleanTechnica
Cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for a small gasoline SUV in 2020 were estimated to be 429 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per mile, while the same size EV with 300 miles of range had 48% fewer GHG emissions. Argonne National Laboratory’s (Argonne) cradle-to-grave analysis considered everything from raw material extraction to vehicle scrappage to provide a holistic view of the sustainability of different vehicle and fuel technologies. The analysis showed that EVs (which have no tailpipe emissions) also have fewer GHG emissions than conventional gasoline or hybrid electric vehicles when the entire life cycle is considered. Argonne also provided emission estimates for technology anticipated to be available in 2030–2050. This analysis includes emissions related to raw material extraction, fuel production and transport, vehicle manufacturing, vehicle use, and vehicle end-of-life, but not supporting infrastructure systems (e.g., refineries end-of-life or roads and bridges). For electric vehicles, Argonne used the average U.S. electricity mix. Future technologies are potential future vehicle efficiency gains based on the adoption of advanced technologies in the U.S. in the 2030‒2035 timeframe. Vehicle lifetime was assumed to be 178,102 miles for all vehicle types. Source: Kelly, Jarod C., Elgowainy, Amgad, Isaac, Raphael, Ward, Jacob, Islam, Ehsan, Rousseau, Aymeric, Sutherland, Ian, Wallington, Timothy J., Alexander, Marcus, Muratori, Matteo, Franklin, Matthew, Adams, Jesse, & Rustagi, Neha. Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Analysis of U.S. Light-Duty Vehicle-Fuel Pathways: A Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment of Current (2020) and Future (2030-2035) Technologies. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1875764 Fact #1303 Dataset. Courtesy of U.S. DOE, 2023 Fact of the Week. I don’t like paywalls. You don’t like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don’t like paywalls, and so we’ve decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It’s a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So … please chip in a bit monthly to help our team do what we do! Thank you! Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News! Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here. Former Tesla Battery Expert Leading Lyten Into New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Era: CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
Related Knowledge Center: Electric vehicles
As electric vehicles — critical in the effort to reduce emissions in transportation — become more economical, the federal government and some states are addressing the need for supporting infrastructure, such as charging stations.
Related Knowledge Center: Air emissions
More than 30 years after the last major update of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has upended the ability of Congress to give the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies broad scope to combat air pollution, including the emission of greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, further Biden administration efforts to limit emissions face opposition in the courts.