EV are the worst polluters over time?

Others are following this topic more closely than I am. They may be more generous in clicking (and accepting) information presented in links containing title word "shocked"

Here are first two serious studies that popped up in searching just now:

https://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/publications/TE%20-%20draft%20report%20v04.pdf

Electric vehicle adoption improves air quality and climate outlook - Northwestern Now

It is certainly a topic fit for discussion here.

 

For one, it claims that a Tesla Model 3 battery pack will last only 94,000 miles.

For another, it essentially claims that the Tesla plug-in recharging will cost a flat 133 g-CO2/mile. No spread is allowed for different sources. That is a fairly high emissions rate, so probably is just from a fossil fuel electric plant, not including any sort of wind / solar / hydro.

For those of us with hydro-dominated electric utility power, and wind making an ever-increasing share, and serious solar on our own rooftops (net-zero plus for me), this article's figure is simply inapplicable.

 

If I correctly understand first link I posted, it assumes 128 thousand mile battery life in BEV.

With same proviso, grams CO2 (equivalent) emissions per mile range from 2 (with electricity only wind) to 175 (with electricity from only coal). Based on EU energy mix, 122 g/mile.

 

I went by this line:
"Each battery pack has a lifespan of approximately ten years and total mileage of 94,000, ..."

"Each battery pack ... (116 to 156 grams of CO2 per mile)... Add to this the CO2 emissions of the electricity from powerplants that power such vehicles, ... (249 and 289 grams of CO2 per mile)."

Subtract the former spread from the later spread, they used a flat 133 g/mile. Does this mean the EU is heavily coal-dominated, with much less natural gas and non-fossil sources than the U.S.?

 

This is the same crock that art spinella used to try to convince people about, saying the Hummer was more clean and green that a Prius.
Old fake news repackaged.
.

 

I am intentionally hobbling myself by choosing not to click the "shocking" link.

It may be that there are now enough lithium BEVs in service so that real-world battery lives can become known.

US energy mix is 63.5% 'fossil'

What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

So that could get dialed in. Obviously there are large regional variations. WA state for example is 20% fossilized, per eia.gov

All that would lead to CO2 (climate) conclusions, but I fear those may be a bit disingenuous (incomplete) with regard to diesel. Our very long discussion about dieselgate here emphasizes that NOx and particulates are important. As thread title says "worst polluters" I feel obliged to mention it.

 

Perhaps so, hill, but Spinella spun a whole lot harder.

 

I certainly don't want Diemaster to feel ill used. If we play hardball here, it is with the best of intentions

 

At least U.S. 'fossil' is more natural gas than coal, significantly cutting the CO2 emission rate.

But it looks now that the EU has been cutting coal and CO2 intensity too, enough so that the OP link is seriously overstating the CO2 from the plug-in component:
Overview of electricity production and use in Europe — European Environment Agency

With the EU grid at 295 g-CO2/kWh, the Tesla ought to be running under 100g/mile for recharging, not the 133g/mile the article used.

 

. [multi-post anomaly]

 

Everyone who drives diesel knows their CO2 exactly. Or at least they could, having purchased all the fuel and having math skills. However it may be that few among them know their particulates and NOx to any degree of accuracy. I mean, it's tough.

 

Uh oh. Fuzzy1 hits a double...

 

One point I like to make. If you buy an electric car, it is entirely possible the grid will be cleaner in 5 years and you will pollute less than when new. That is not true for any other car.

While gas goes up and down, the electric grid has gotten cleaner every year since 2010.

 

Web freeze-up, now fixed with some content added to the first.

 

There is so much data sloshing about, that I wonder at the absence of a website featuring a dynamic global map of CO2 per kwh. Colorful and with high spatial resolution.

That would be clickbait for me.

 

Take Jimbograph@14 and recast it as CO2 per kwh. Value added to my suggestion@16. Click on a region and get recent 'history'.

I think I'm in love...

 

Single region history:

 

Yeah. Like that. But we shall mine more recent data and upgrade graphics

Dude! Can you even guess which global regions are best (or worst) at this? Sure, there are dry data tables, but imagine our world in color.

Then pull down kilowatts per capita from menu. Columbia CISIEN population density ARC GIS layer gets a new breath of relevance.