Categories: CleanTech Bites

EV lifecycle emissions just a fraction of petrol and diesel cars in major economies

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The Driven

Lifecycle electric vehicle emissions – are they really lower than petrol and diesel cars?

It seems to be a question of ongoing debate, although we wonder why it really is given the overwhelming evidence that make it clear that EVs emit considerably less than ICE (internal combustion engine) cars fuelled by petrol or diesel.

Recently, we published a report from researchers from Transport Energy/Emission Research (TER) who found that EVs beat ICE cars on emissions, even in a coal-dominated grid. And the reductions were substantial in Australian states with a high share of renewables. See EVs smash petrol cars on emissions, even with a coal-powered grid.

Now, new research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance comes to a similar conclusion when comparing the emissions of EVs and ICE cars in five major economies: China, the US, Germany, France and the UK.

“The lifecycle CO2 emissions of medium segment battery electric cars produced in 2020 and used for 250,000km would be between 18% and 87% lower than those of equivalent internal combustion engine vehicles in the five countries included in this report,” the BNEF analysts say.

To read the full version of this story, please go to our EV-focussed sister site, The Driven and click here…

Giles Parkinson

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of Renew Economy, and of its sister sites One Step Off The Grid and the EV-focused The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

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