Are Electric Cars Worse For The Environment? Myth Busted

Summary

In this video, the presenter collaborates with Formula E to address the environmental impact of electric cars compared to gasoline cars. They explore three common concerns: emissions from battery production, the source of electric car power, and the environmental effects of lithium mining. The discussion highlights that electric cars, despite higher initial emissions due to battery production, typically have lower operational emissions and can be more environmentally friendly, especially in regions with cleaner energy grids. The video also touches on the water-intensive nature of lithium mining but compares it favorably to the ecological damage caused by fossil fuel extraction.

Takeaways

• 🚗 The video discusses whether electric cars are better for the environment than gasoline cars, focusing on three common questions.
• ⚡ Producing electric car batteries does result in emissions, but these are often offset by the lower emissions during the vehicle's usage phase.
• 🔌 Electric cars can get their power from various sources, including fossil fuels, but the overall emissions are still lower compared to gasoline cars.
• 🔑 The video emphasizes the importance of checking the credibility of information sources when discussing environmental impacts.
• 🌟 Electric cars require more CO2 emissions to produce due to batteries, but this is offset over time through lower operational emissions.
• 📉 Vehicle production emissions are significant for electric cars, but they are quickly compensated for by the lower emissions during usage.
• 🌱 The environmental impact of lithium mining is a concern, but it's not necessarily worse than the environmental damage caused by fossil fuel extraction.
• 🏎️ Formula E serves as a testing ground for electric vehicle technology and promotes cleaner racing through the use of sustainable energy sources.
• 🌐 The environmental benefit of electric cars varies by region, depending on the source of electricity used for charging.
• 🌿 In most cases, electric cars are environmentally superior to gasoline cars, regardless of the source of the electricity used for charging.

Q & A

What are the three main questions addressed in the video about electric cars and the environment?

The video addresses whether electric cars are any better for the environment than gasoline cars, focusing on three main questions: 1) Does producing electric car batteries produce a lot of emissions? 2) Don't electric cars get their power from fossil fuels, offsetting any emission benefits? 3) Isn't lithium mining terrible for the environment?

What are the two main sections the video breaks down the discussion of electric cars and emissions into?

The video breaks down the discussion into two main sections: emissions and materials and mining.

How does the video handle the potential bias from partnering with Formula E?

The video ensures a balanced perspective by not using Formula E as a source of information regarding the environmental impact of electric cars and by providing citations and links for all information presented.

What is the consensus among the studies reviewed in the video regarding the emissions required to produce electric cars versus gasoline cars?

Every study reviewed agreed that electric cars require more CO2 emissions to produce than gasoline-powered cars, primarily due to the batteries.

What is the estimated range of CO2 emissions for battery production in electric cars according to the video?

The video cites a range from about one to five tons for a small battery and about 6 to 17.5 tons for a larger battery pack.

How does the video calculate the break-even point for electric cars to produce less emissions than gasoline cars over their lifetime?

The video calculates the break-even point by comparing the emissions from vehicle production and annual emissions from vehicle usage, multiplied by time, for both electric and gasoline cars.

What is the significance of the average annual mileage used in the video's calculations?

The video uses the national average of about 12,000 miles or 19,000 kilometers per year, which is within the capability of any modern electric car, to estimate annual emissions for both types of vehicles.

How does the source of electricity for charging electric cars affect their environmental impact according to the video?

The video explains that the environmental impact of electric cars varies depending on the source of electricity, with states that rely more on renewable energy providing a greater environmental benefit.

What is the video's stance on lithium mining and its environmental impact compared to fossil fuel extraction?

While lithium mining is water-intensive and has environmental consequences, the video argues that it is not worse than drilling for oil, especially considering the locations where lithium is extracted.

How does Formula E contribute to the discussion of electric cars and the environment in the video?

Formula E serves as a testbed for technology and contributes to the discussion by promoting clean energy and tracking environmental impact, aiming to improve urban air quality with electric cars.

What is the main takeaway from the video regarding electric cars and the environment?

The main takeaway is that electric cars are not worse for the environment than gasoline-powered cars, and in most cases, they are environmentally superior.

Outlines

00:00

🚗 Introduction to Electric Car Environmental Impact

The video begins by addressing common concerns about the environmental benefits of electric cars compared to gasoline-powered ones. The presenter outlines three key questions: whether electric car battery production emits significant pollution, if electric cars' power sources negate their emission benefits, and the environmental impact of lithium mining. The video aims to provide well-sourced information to clarify these issues, emphasizing the importance of scrutinizing the credibility of different sources on the topic.

05:00

🌟 Emissions from Electric and Gasoline Vehicles

This section delves into the emissions produced during vehicle production and usage. It acknowledges that electric cars require more CO2 emissions to produce due to their batteries, but emphasizes that these are offset by lower emissions during vehicle use. The presenter uses data from various sources, including the US Department of Energy, to compare the annual emissions of gasoline and electric vehicles. The conclusion is that electric cars, even with higher initial emissions due to battery production, surpass gasoline cars in terms of lower lifetime emissions, with the break-even point occurring within a few years of use.

10:02

🔋 The Debate on Lithium Mining and Electric Car Production

The final paragraph addresses the environmental impact of lithium mining, a common argument against electric cars. It points out that lithium constitutes only a small percentage of an electric car's battery and is extracted in areas with minimal ecological impact. The video contrasts this with the more significant environmental damage caused by oil extraction in ecologically sensitive areas. The presenter also discusses the role of Formula E in advancing electric vehicle technology and promoting cleaner urban environments, concluding that electric cars are generally more environmentally friendly than their gasoline counterparts.

Keywords

💡Electric Cars

Electric cars are vehicles that are powered by electricity, typically stored in rechargeable batteries. They are a key focus of the video as the script discusses their environmental impact compared to gasoline cars. The video aims to dispel myths about electric cars being worse for the environment, highlighting that they are generally more environmentally friendly, especially when considering the emissions produced over their lifetime.

💡Emissions

Emissions refer to the release of pollutants or greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In the context of the video, emissions are a critical metric for comparing the environmental impact of electric cars versus gasoline cars. The script delves into the emissions produced during vehicle production and usage, concluding that electric cars produce fewer emissions over their lifetime, especially when considering the energy source used for charging.

💡Battery Production

Battery production is the process of manufacturing the batteries used in electric vehicles. The video script mentions that electric cars require more CO2 emissions to produce than gasoline cars, primarily due to battery production. The script provides estimates of CO2 emissions required for battery production, emphasizing the importance of battery size in determining these emissions.

💡Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, formed from the remains of ancient organisms. The video addresses the concern that electric cars might still contribute to emissions if the electricity they use comes from fossil fuel sources. However, it argues that even in such cases, electric cars can still be more environmentally friendly due to their efficiency and the potential for renewable energy sources.

💡Lithium Mining

Lithium mining is the process of extracting lithium, a key component in most types of rechargeable batteries. The video script touches on the environmental concerns associated with lithium mining, such as water usage and ecological impact. It compares these concerns to those of fossil fuel extraction, suggesting that the environmental impact of lithium mining is not necessarily worse and is often overlooked in favor of more visible ecological damage caused by fossil fuel extraction.

💡Renewable Energy

Renewable energy refers to energy sources that are naturally replenished, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power. The video script highlights the importance of renewable energy in reducing the emissions associated with electric car charging. It suggests that as the proportion of renewable energy in the grid increases, the environmental benefits of electric cars become even more pronounced.

💡End of Life Emissions

End of life emissions refer to the emissions produced when a vehicle is disposed of or recycled. The video script mentions that end of life emissions for both electric and gasoline cars are relatively low compared to those from production and usage. This implies that the environmental impact of a vehicle is more significantly influenced by its operational emissions rather than its disposal.

💡Plug-in Hybrids

Plug-in hybrids are vehicles that combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor and can be plugged in to recharge the battery. The video script suggests that in certain states where electricity production is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, plug-in hybrids might be a more environmentally friendly option than fully electric cars due to their smaller batteries and lower production emissions.

💡Formula E

Formula E is an international racing series for electric cars. The video script mentions Formula E as a testbed for electric vehicle technology, highlighting its role in advancing battery technology and promoting clean energy. The series is also noted for its efforts to minimize environmental impact, such as using glycerin generators for energy and tracking its environmental footprint.

💡Energy Mix

Energy mix refers to the combination of different sources of energy used to generate electricity. The video script discusses how the energy mix in different states affects the emissions associated with charging electric cars. It emphasizes that in states with a higher proportion of renewable energy, electric cars have a greater environmental advantage.

Highlights

Discussing whether electric cars are better for the environment than gasoline cars.

Three common questions about electric cars' environmental impact will be answered.

Emissions from electric car battery production are compared to those from gasoline cars.

Electric cars require more CO2 emissions to produce due to batteries, but this varies by battery size.

The environmental impact of vehicle production versus vehicle usage is analyzed.

Emissions from vehicle usage are heavily regulated and well-documented.

Average gasoline vehicles in the U.S. create about 5.2 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Electric vehicles produce about 2 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year on average.

Calculating the break-even point for electric cars to have less lifetime emissions than gasoline cars.

Electric cars with smaller batteries reach the break-even point faster.

The environmental impact of lithium mining is discussed in comparison to fossil fuel extraction.

Lithium makes up only about 5-7% of an electric car battery.

Lithium is extracted in desolate areas, minimizing ecological disruption.

Formula E serves as a testbed for electric vehicle technology and promotes clean energy.

Electric cars are not worse for the environment than gasoline-powered cars in any scenario.

In most cases, electric cars are environmentally superior to gasoline cars.

Transcripts

hello everyone and welcome to the fifth

and final video of a series where I have

teamed up with formula e to talk about

electric cars now in this video we're

going to be discussing a very common

question that gets brought up whenever

you're talking about electric cars and

that is our electric cars actually any

better for the environment than a

gasoline car so there's three questions

we're going to be answering in this

video that I think are very commonly

asked first doesn't producing electric

car batteries produce a lot of emissions

with it second don't electric cars get

their power from fossil fuels anyways

offsetting any emission benefits of

those electric cars and finally isn't

lithium mining terrible for the

environment

now this is a highly discussed subject

and there's all kinds of information

floating around out there and so I want

to start by saying that well yes I have

teamed up with formula II for this video

who obviously likes electric cars I'm

not going to be using formula II as a

source of information for any of the

information about whether or not

electric cars are better or worse for

the environment than gasoline cars on

top of this I'm going to provide

citations as well as links with in the

video description for all of the

information provided in this video and I

do agree that it's a good idea you know

to go out there and look at different

videos and that kind of thing

I just want to be sure that when you're

doing so try to see where that

information comes from because many of

them out there don't include citations

and you don't know whether or not you

can actually trust the information

provided okay so it's a highly

complicated topic but I want to break it

down into two main sections that I think

get the most attention first emissions

and then materials and mining so

starting with emissions we need to

answer two questions how much emissions

are produced for vehicle production and

how much emissions result from vehicle

usage based on these two parts of the

equation we can determine which vehicle

is better overall for the life of the

vehicle now of course there are

emissions related to the vehicles end of

life getting rid of it once it's no

longer useful however a study out of

Yale University found that end of life

emissions for both electric cars and

gasoline-powered cars is relatively low

very low in comparison to usage and

production so we're not going to be

looking at end of life emissions in this

video all right so the first part of the

question is vehicle production and

there's a wide variety of estimates out

there as far as the carbon

required to produce a vehicle now that

makes sense because there's a wide

variety of vehicles out there so I

looked at about a dozen studies looking

at what are the average emissions

required to produce the average vehicle

and so I saw a low estimate a study out

of MIT saying about two metric tons of

carbon required to produce a vehicle and

then I saw a cost analysis saying as

high as 17 metric tons in order to

produce a vehicle now every single study

I looked at agreed that electric cars

require more co2 emissions to produce

than gasoline-powered cars and this is

primarily because of the batteries so

they range from about 15% more emissions

to about 70% more emissions now this

percentage is based on the size of the

battery so a small Nissan Leaf battery

will require about a third of the carbon

emissions to produce versus a larger

Tesla battery so it's important when

you're buying an electric car that you

buy the right size battery for your

needs for the purposes of this video

we're going to give the combustion

engine every benefit of the doubt and so

we're going to assume that both of these

vehicles require the same baseline of

emissions to produce them assuming you

don't include the emissions required for

the battery and this is a safe

assumption to make because most studies

show that an electric car would actually

have less emissions than producing an

internal combustion car if it weren't

for the battery then so we're gonna

start with that common baseline and

we'll add on top of that the emissions

required for producing the battery for

just the electric car from the wide

range of estimates out there let's

simply say that it requires 10 metric

tons of co2 emissions to produce a new

car now whether or not that's higher low

doesn't really matter all that much

because we're giving the same number to

both cars then we add the emissions for

battery production the studies I read

showed a range of co2 emissions for

battery production from about one to

five tons for a small battery 30

kilowatt hours like in the previous leaf

- about 6 to 17.5 tons for a larger

battery pack such as the hundred

kilowatt hour pack in a tesla p 100 d so

to play it safe let's go with the higher

estimate so once again we're giving the

internal combustion engine the benefit

of the doubt okay so for the production

of an average gasoline vehicle we start

with 10 metric tons of carbon emissions

for an electric car with a

30 kilowatt hour battery pack we have 10

tons of carbon emissions plus 5.3 tons

of emissions for the battery for an

electric car with a large 100 kilowatt

hour battery pack we add 17.5 metric

tons for the battery so here we can

clearly see that producing an electric

car requires more emissions now it's

time to get into vehicle use emissions

thankfully there are wonderful data

resources on vehicle emissions as this

is something that is heavily regulated

so on every single vehicle Munro knee

you'll see the emissions the vehicle

produces the US Department of Energy

summarizes this data and you can see

that the average gasoline vehicle in the

United States creates 11,000 435 pounds

or about 5.2 metric tons of co2

emissions each year this is while

driving the national average of about

12,000 miles or about 19,000 300

kilometers per year that's an average

commute of about 33 miles per day which

is well within the capability of any

modern electric car this is something

you can verify looking at a vehicle

Munroe nice sticker take this pickup

truck as an example it produces 528

grams of co2 per mile multiply that by

the average annual mileage and you get

6.2 for metric tons of co2 per year

about 20% higher than the average u.s.

vehicle which is at 5.2 metric tons per

year the alternative fuels data center

also provides us with emissions for

electric vehicles and this is

specifically based on the electric mix

that provide charging for the electric

vehicle so a state like West Virginia

which is heavily coal dependent will

have much different numbers than a state

like Idaho which is heavily

hydroelectric dependent looking at

national averages we can get a good idea

of electric cars as a whole which

produce about four thousand four hundred

fifty five pounds of co2 emissions each

year or about two metric tons now here

comes the fun part where we can start

making conclusions based on this data if

we take the amount of carbon for

gasoline vehicle production and add to

that the amount of annual emissions

multiplied by T for time and set this

equal to the amount of carbon for

electric vehicle production and add to

that the amount of annual emissions also

multiplied by T then by solving for T we

get the exact number of years required

in order for an electric car to have

less life time emissions than a gasoline

car putting in the numbers for the

average gasoline vehicle in the United

States against the average 30 kilowatt

hour battery electric car using the

average energy mix we find out that

after just one point six seven years an

electric car is already producing less

emissions than its gasoline competitor

with many many years of useful life to

come in fact even if you had to replace

the battery meaning you have the

additional carbon of that second

battery's production you'd still

break-even in less than three and a half

years and clearly batteries are going to

last far longer than a couple years

because manufacturers are providing

eight year hundred thousand mile

warranties with them now the story isn't

quite as clean once you start getting

into the higher capacity batteries so

doing the same car comparison with a

hundred kilowatt hour battery versus the

average gasoline car results in five

point five years needed to offset the

carbon production but five point five

years is still way less than an electric

cars useful life remember these cars

have very few moving parts and they

require much less preventative

maintenance than gasoline cars and again

these are using conservative estimates

for the carbon emissions related to

battery production if we go with more

lenient estimates a 30 kilowatt hour

electric car could offset its emissions

in less than four months and a hundred

kilowatt hour electric car in less than

two years going back to national

averages with conservative estimates

it's also important to see where your

power comes from for example I live in

the state of Idaho where a small

electric battery will be offset in just

one point one years and a larger

electric car in just three point six

years if the majority of the state's

energy comes from coal however like in

West Virginia a small evie takes five

point four years and a larger one takes

as much as 17 point eight years so if

you're driving a tesla P 100 D in West

Virginia you're not doing the

environment any favors but you probably

didn't have the environment in mind

anyways when you were buying a crazy

fast 135 thousand dollar sports sedan

even using more generous carbon

emissions numbers it would take 6.1

years for 100 kilowatt hour electric car

in West Virginia to produce less

emissions than the average gasoline car

a smaller battery however would only

take one

year so driving a car like the leaf even

in a coal powered state is still better

for the environment than a gasoline car

in fact there isn't a single state in

the u.s. in which driving a purely

gasoline-powered car is the greenest

option but likewise driving electric car

isn't the best option in every state

either only in about half of the states

and the other half it's better to drive

a plug-in hybrid or a hybrid vehicle

which have smaller batteries and thus

have less emissions but as electricity

production becomes greener in other

areas which it tends to do an electric

car becomes the best option now these

numbers bring up an interesting

revelation because I had always thought

it would be better to continue driving

your old car rather than purchasing a

new cleaner car because you don't have

the emissions related with producing

that car but it turns out the numbers

show otherwise numbers show the vast

majority of automotive emissions come

from vehicle use in gasoline cars not

from production if you were to buy a

brand new small battery electric car

from an emission standpoint the new car

will be in the green in less than five

years so if you take two people and both

of them are driving the same old

gasoline car and one of them sells today

and buys an electric car and the other

continues driving the older car in just

five years

the electric car will be the green or

option of those two scenarios now I

don't want this to imply that we should

all be buying new cars all the time

obviously this isn't green and when

thinking about cars obviously using a

three thousand pound object to transport

you know 150 pound object is not the

most efficient or green way of doing so

riding your bike or walking is going to

be a much greener option but we are

comparing between an electric car and a

gasoline car and so it's a myth to say

between that comparison that an electric

car is worse for the environment than a

gasoline car okay so we've talked about

emissions but I do want to briefly touch

on lithium mining because this is

something that's often brought up when

deeming electric cars not

environmentally friendly in comparison

to gasoline cars so there's several

things here first of all lithium makes

up far less of an electric cars battery

than you might think only about five to

seven percent it's latched on to because

it's in the name you know

lithium-ion battery but in reality their

elements like cobalt nickel which are

actually more important and these

elements are also more profitable to

recycle which I've explained in a

previous video talking about recycling

electric car batteries but is lithium

mining horrible for the environment so

one of the interesting things about

choosing to attack the lithium as a way

to say that electric cars are bad for

the environment is that lithium is

extracted in extraordinarily desolate

places like the Atacama Desert in Chile

which is one of the world's leading

producers of lithium so lithium is

extracted from a brine of beneath desert

salt flats and then brought to the

surface where you then evaporate off

that water and you're left behind with

this liquid goo of lithium and other

components that you can further refine

down to the lithium and so it is a very

water intensive process and that is an

environmental consequence of mining for

lithium but from an ecological

standpoint this happens in an area where

hardly any life forms could actually

survive drilling for oil for guests lien

powered cars on the other hand often

happens in more biodiverse and more

ecologically fragile ecosystems such as

ocean floors or the tar sands in Canada

in addition to you know the more

desolate areas like in Saudi Arabia

where the environmental impacts may not

be quite as apparent and again I think

it's worth repeating that I'm not saying

that mining for lithium is good for the

planet

it's just untrue to say that mining for

lithium is worse than drilling for oil

and taking large amounts of carbon out

of the ground and placing it into the

atmosphere now on the subject of

electric cars and getting more into

formula II formula e acts as a testbed

for many auto manufacturers which have

been joining in including Nissan for the

start of the fifth season where car

swaps have been eliminated and one car

is used for the full race each car gets

just one battery which has to last the

full season and there have only been two

battery failures in racing over the

first four seasons which is pretty

impressive when you compare this to how

frequently other motor sports are

replacing engines they also produce the

energy for charging the cars using

glycerin generators for their clean

emissions and they track their

environmental impact and how well

they're improving it on their website

which is interesting to see a breakdown

of it's also part of their goal to be

bringing formula e to cities to help

draw attention to how air

can be improved in urban areas by using

electric cars overall the main takeaway

from this video which i think is pretty

intuitive from the beginning is that

electric cars certainly aren't any worse

for the environment than

gasoline-powered cars regardless of

where your energy comes from to charge

that electric car and in the vast

majority of cases they're

environmentally superior to gasoline

cars so thank you all so much for

watching and if you have any questions

or comments of course feel free to leave

those below