Over Life of Vehicle, Some Diesels May Be 'Greener' Than Electrics - Swiss Study
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2010
Green-minded Americans may be licking their chops waiting for the debut of the Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle later this year, but on the other side of the Atlantic, some folks are questioning whether BEVs pose all that much of an advantage for people looking to save some money - or the Earth.
Some fuel-sipping combustion-engine-powered cars have a smaller environmental impact than battery-electric cars because of both the metals and chemical process required to produce lithium-ion batteries and the electricity required to recharge the cars, according to a report by Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, or EMPA.
Cars that get at least 60 miles per gallon, using European fuel-economy standards that are slightly more generous than those of the EPA, create lower so-called cumulative energy demand than EVs, the report said.
While the average diesel-powered car in Europe gets about 42 miles per gallon, some Ford and Volkswagen diesels actually exceed 60 mpg.
"The main finding of this study is that the impact of a lithium-ion battery used in BEVs for transport service is relatively small," the report said. "In contrast, it is the operation phase that remains the dominant contributor to the environmental burden caused by transport service as long as the electricity for the BEV is not produced by renewable hydropower."
The study was released just one day after the BBC reported that operating an EV will cost more than operating a similar gasoline-powered car during the first three years of ownership, predominately because of higher depreciation expenses stemming from the relatively higher costs of a new EV.
The main culprits in the EV's environmental impact are the transportation and raw-material needs to make a battery pack, which includes steel, copper and aluminum. The chemical process involved in making the battery also emits carbon dioxide.
The Swiss study factored in an EV single-charge range of about 125 miles and the fact that two sets of batteries would likely be required over the 150,000-mile lifetime of an EV.
The report didn't factor in the potential environmental benefits of recycling lithium-ion batteries after their automotive use. Industry watchers say a secondary market for used lithium batteries that can serve as a stationary power-supply source will emerge as EV batteries are replaced.
Danny King, Contributor
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Ridiculous assumptions. Most decent vehicles last a lot more than 150k miles, and the batteries in the Nissan Leaf (for example) are guaranteed for 100k miles (and will likely last for 150k) so assuming 2 sets to go 150k miles is just wrong.
Do any of these studies factor in the cost of NOT manufacturing an engine, exhaust system, catalytic converter, etc.? Those use plenty of materials and energy as well.
Also, there are a lot of other renewable energy sources in addition to hydropower. Why did they only mention one?
Lets see a 'study' that lays the numbers out straight!
1) On the energy stored in a single 20 Gallon fuel tank, an EV could travel 3400 miles.
2) For an EV to store that much energy on board, it would need a 650 kWh battery.
3) A Nissan Leaf's battery is 1/27th the size giving a clear indication of it's ENERGY efficiency.
4) A kilowatt hour worth of energy costs approx the same no mater what the source. It makes no difference to the supplier if you use it or waste it.
Finally, WHAT a surprise The report didn't factor in the potential environmental benefits of recycling lithium-ion batteries. If they had the report would have been a slam dunk for EVs.
These reports are simply paid for propaganda!
I don't think that study is all that off the mark. However, here in California where we have comparatively clean power, EVs would clearly come out ahead. Even so, I have chosen to reserve a Nissan Leaf for other reasons, not just environmental. Reducing our national use of imported oil will have a number of benefits.
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