What would the world look like with electric vehicles?
Pollution & cars: what is the link between the transport sector and pollution? What would a world with 100% electric cars look like? What does coronavirus containment tell us about pollution in big cities? These are the questions we'll be answering in this article.
The sudden shutdown of industry and the transport sector has lowered nitrogen dioxide levels and accidentally given us a glimpse of a more eco-responsible world. Experts have even declared this sudden change to be "the greatest experiment ever carried out" in terms of reducing industrial emissions.
The European Space Agency(EESA), via its Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, has measured nitrogen dioxide levels, and the results are clear: containment has led to a sharp drop in nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the world's biggest cities.
Pollution & cars: the state of play
Why do cars pollute?
The transport sector in general has two main environmental consequences: air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Added to these two nuisances is noise pollution, which also has an impact on people's health. Over the past 40 years, the number of cars has increased 8-fold, which means even more CO2 emissions.
The link between pollution and cars was established a long time ago. Automakers have already significantly reduced the emissions of polluting gases from their new models, but there's still a long way to go. How? By improving exhaust systems and engines.
To be more precise, automakers have improved combustion. A gasoline engine, for example, works by burning a mixture of air and gasoline. On older engines, this mixture is produced in a carburetor. It is then breathed into the combustion chamber, compressed, and the mixture ignites, producing gases that enable the car to run. Older models used too much petrol, which resulted in higher emissions of toxic gases.
New engines no longer use carburetors: sensors estimate the amount of petrol needed for combustion, so the engine uses less petrol and produces fewer toxic gases.
On a national level, pollution from cars is second only to industry, i.e. combining urban and rural areas. But in cities, the data are not the same; in this case, the car is responsible for a large proportion of pollution (around 25% of air pollution, for example). It's even worse for fine-particle pollution (or PM2.5), where the car accounts for 51% of pollution. This pollution is not without consequences: studies have shown that pollution causes 48,000 deaths in France, the equivalent of a town like Valenciennes, or 10 times more than road accidents.
Based on the 2018 CO2 emissions of the world's 12 leading car manufacturers, Greenpeace has calculated the greenhouse gases emitted during their manufacture, use and recycling.
The NGO deduced, for example, that Volkswagen'scarbon footprint was 582 million tonnes of CO2, which exceeds the carbon emissions of a country like Germany...
Preserving a dying economy
Many journalists are sounding the alarm about these false reports.
As Forbes explains so well, the biggest lie out there is that electric vehicles pollute more than combustion ones. This is not true. All the studies carried out on the subject prove the opposite: electric vehicles win every time. In terms of price? Wrong again. Electric vehicles cost much less.
Many people are talking about a false problem. According to them, we should first tackle the most polluting sector, namely industry. This is false for two reasons:
- Cars and transport in general account for ⅓ of CO2 emissions: it's therefore a sector that needs to be reformed as quickly as possible.
- Vehicle pollution is the one that affects us most: most of us live in areas where cars circulate freely, and these emissions have a direct impact on us. You only have to look at certain Asian cities to realize the degree of pollution that the accumulation of combustion-powered vehicles can produce.
The purpose of this article is not to glorify the image of the electric car: there are still areas for improvement. But, as the sector is still in its infancy and has already made exponential progress in terms of technology, it's certain that all the areas for improvement will be addressed in the - very - near future.
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Pollution & electric cars: False information circulating on the net
Let's take an example.
As Marc pointed out in a forum on the subject of electric cars, if we do a reverse search, we find the owner of this domain name.
Who is this "SDT Aquiweb sarl"? We search on Google and here's the result.
We tried to contact the company but the number displayed was unassigned, no surprise there.
How can classic car enthusiasts be neutral about electric cars? Unfortunately, they can't.
Second example.
Here's the front page of "Transition Energies" magazine, destroying the image of the electric vehicle. Using the same reverse search, we find the contact details of the site's owner.
Green Axxe is the owner of this domain name. And then, surprise! Despite being a company committed to the energy transition, it is ... pro-hydrogen.
Better information: everyone's duty
How do you deal with fake news? Obviously, you have to choose your sources carefully. Filtering your sources is a fundamental step in the search for information, particularly on the subject of electric cars, but on all subjects in general.
Government sites and consumer associations are good sources of information. Here are some reliable sites you can consult right away.
- UFC Que choisir: Union fédérale des consommateurs - Association under the French law of 1901
- Avere France: National association for the development of electric mobility
- Automobile propre : Blog dedicated to cars and the environment
Let's turn now to the conventional wisdom.
Electric cars are more affordable in the long term
Electric cars cost more than their combustion counterparts. That's true. But, with the many subsidies available - such as the ecological bonus and regional grants - it's easy to reduce this price and get away with the same bill for a vehicle that's more expensive in theory.
There are many grants available, some of them very generous. With the bonus écologique and the prime à la conversion, you can already save almost €11,000 on your future electric car. Depending on your region, you may or may not be eligible for regional aid, which could give you an extra boost.
Ecological bonus
Conversion bonus
| Taxable household | Non-taxable household | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a new electric or plug-in hybrid car | 2 500 € | 5 000 € |
| Buying a used electric or plug-in hybrid car | 0 € | 5 000 € |
LIRE AUSSI - Regional aid for electric cars
Let's take an example: a Peugeot e-208 Like at €34,000.
| Price | Ecological bonus | Conversion bonus | Cost price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peugeot e-208 | 34 000 € | 5 000 € | 1 500 € | 27 500 € |
If, in addition, you're lucky enough to live in a region that offers subsidies for the purchase of an electric vehicle, you could save even more. For example, if you live in Bouches-du-Rhône, you're entitled to an extra €5,000 for the purchase of an electric vehicle.
| Price | Ecological bonus | Conversion bonus | Aides Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | Cost price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peugeot e-208 | 34 000 € | 5 000 € | 1 500 € | 5 000 € | 22 500 € |
Beyond the purchase price, the electric car offers many advantages for its driver.
By comparison, the Peugeot 208 Active 1.2 L PureTech is priced at €22,300.
Even without regional subsidies, the e-208 is €1,300 more expensive than its internal combustion counterpart. The e-208 will add value over time in terms of savings on fuel and maintenance.
Fuel
This is where the car makes all the difference. For 100 kms driven, you pay an average of 2€/full. For 13,000 kms driven/year, your bill will therefore be €260/year... By way of comparison, it would have cost €1,539.20 if you had a petrol car.
ALSO READ Charging an electric car: how much does it cost?
| Fuel costs | Price per unit | Autonomy (WLTP) | Usable battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 1,80 € | 8 | 14,40 € |
| Diesel | 1,96 € | 6,25 | 12,25 € |
| Hybrid Petrol | 1,80 € | 3 | 5,40 € |
| Electric | 2,00 € |
Maintenance
According to the Avere association, the maintenance of an electric vehicle costs 4 times less than that of a combustion vehicle. Why is this? Because electric vehicles have fewer parts to change and repair. No spark plugs, no exhaust, no clutch...
With fewer parts, visits to the garage are obviously rarer, and that's good for the wallet...
Other benefits
Some cities that want to reduce pollution offer advantages to electric car drivers. For example, you can park free of charge in Paris if you have an electric car. With the price of parking in major cities, these are significant advantages.
ALSO READ Parking your electric car: everything you need to know before taking the plunge
LIRE AUSSI - How to recharge your electric car in Paris?
Electric cars are not suitable for long journeys
Not true. Autonomy is the sinews of war for many carmakers, and if this statement was true a few years ago, it's no longer the case today.
The Kia e-niro 64 kWh, for example, has a range of over 450 kms. That's more than enough range for any journey.
French drivers cover an average of 13,000 kms a year. We have 226 working days in 2019, or 58 kms/day. With a range of 450 kms, you can drive a Kia e-niro for over 7 days without recharging. That's a lot.
It's too complicated to recharge
It's still not true. Most electric vehicle drivers recharge at home or at work. For the rest, there are 17,508 recharging zones in France, with 83,227 plugs available. To give you an idea, there are 10,000 service stations in France.
Based on this information, you have several options for recharging:
- You live downtown
You can charge - often free of charge - at your local charging station. You'll need to choose your charging times carefully, though.
ALSO READ - Google Maps to display electric vehicle charging stations
- You live in a condominium
Whether you rent or own, you have the right to a plug that works in your favor. This means you have the right to have a subsidized recharging point installed.
ALSO READ Electric vehicle charging points in condominiums: the complete guide
- You live in a suburban residence
You install a charging station at your home. You're entitled to a number of subsidies that will help you reduce your bill considerably.
The choice is too limited
It's true that, at first, the choice was very limited, with the Renault Zoé the best-seller in France and few competitors. Tesla spiced things up a bit, but prices were out of reach for many drivers.
Fortunately, today more and more models are emerging, and the choice is very interesting in 2019. With challengers such as the Kia Niro EV, the Nissan Leaf and the Peugeot 208 due later this year, you're spoilt for choice.
READ ALSO - The best electric cars in 2023
In addition to the models already available, carmakers are all preparing electric-only models that are eagerly awaited in the coming years. Audi, BMW and Mini have announced 100% electric models for each of their target markets.
LIRE AUSSI - Future electric cars up to 2024
Good to know: carmakers will have to achieve an average CO2 emission level of 95 g/km for all their ranges by 2021. If they fail to do so, they will have to pay fines set at 95 euros per excess gram of CO2 for each vehicle registered during the year.
If everyone switches to electric cars, the power grid won't be able to keep up
Not true. According to a study by the French electricity transmission network (Réseau de transport d'électricité), the French power grid is ready to absorb the energy demand of electric cars in France. This study, carried out in partnership with Avere - the Association for the Development of Electric Mobility - gives the green light to the development of electric cars in the coming years. Enough to reassure even the most pessimistic drivers.
What's more, with electric vehicles now a thing of the past, automakers are increasingly innovating and already anticipating peak consumption. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is an example of such innovation. What is vehicle-to-grid? Simply put, when an electric vehicle is plugged in, it can recharge or discharge electricity into the power grid. This can be useful, for example, during peak consumption periods. This process will enable electric car owners to sell energy to the grid. Utilities could also use electric cars as a source of "back-up" if demand increases. After conclusive tests in several European cities, EDF has already announced the deployment of several devices for the French market with its subsidiary Dreev.
READ ALSO - Vehicle-to-grid (V2G): will electric cars be a source of energy?
Yes, but new nuclear power plants will have to be built.
No. According to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity, the share of renewable energies in France's gross final energy consumption has grown and continues to grow.
Today, it stands at 16%. The European Union has set a target of 27% by 2030. These targets will be revised upwards in the future, as we move towards a world where consumers no longer wish to pollute.
If you want to do more, there are many energy suppliers who offer 100% renewable energy from local producers with a short, transparent circuit. Enercoop, for example, offers 100% green energy from identified local producers.
In a nutshell
Pollution from electric cars is one of the many clichés circulating about electric cars.
On the contrary, the electric vehicle is a highly effective solution in the fight against climate change in France and several other countries. India, for example, has just asked Uber and its competitor Ola to electrify 40% of their fleets by ... 2026.
With increasing battery life and greener energy sources, there's no reason to be afraid of switching to electric vehicles.
Electric vehicle: 63% fewer CO2 emissions than a petrol vehicle
Carbon footprint (CO2) : Pollution from electric vehicle VS petrol.
👍The idea here is to get to the bottom of the pollution reality between electric and combustion.
According to a study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment, an electric vehicle emits 3 times less CO2 than its gasoline equivalent, for the same length of use.
While an electric vehicle is more inclined to pollute during manufacture, a petrol vehicle triples this rate of pollution during use. This is where the two technologies clash.
To give you an idea, the table below establishes a balance, of the amount of CO2 emitted (in tons) from the manufacture to the end of vehicle life. 👀
| CO2 emissions (in tonnes) | Electric | Petrol |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 3,15 € | |
| Vehicle/Parts | 3,06 | 3,74 |
| Total issue | 6,21 | 3,74 |
| Route 150,000 km | 15,84 | |
| Refill/fuel | 2,34 | 2,42 |
| Total issue | 2,34 | 18,26 |
| Total CO2 emissions | 9 | 22 |
The figures show that an electric vehicle produces 9 tonnes of CO2, i.e. almost 1/3 of the amount emitted by a petrol vehicle, which emits 22 tonnes of CO2, from manufacture to end of life.
In fact, the only ecological disadvantage of electric vehicles is the manufacture of the battery. Raw materials such as lithium ion and cobalt are the source of pollution in electric vehicles. The advantage is that today, these materials are in ample supply. Their production will therefore slow down considerably, and will no longer be a source of pollution in the years to come.
And more! Nowadays, most of these energies are renewable. Unlike fossil fuels, including carbon, they can be recycled over and over again. The result! Land use for these energies is reduced.
Pollution from electric cars: A country-by-country comparison tool
Transport & Environment has put a new tool at your disposal. It compares the CO2 emissions generated by battery manufacture in each country . So you're free to inform yourself and make the choice that's most environmentally friendly for you.
Compare your vehicle's CO2 savings by country of battery origin here.
Good to know, nitrogen dioxide is produced by car engines, power stations and other industrial processes, and is also thought to exacerbate respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
What coronavirus tells us about car-free air pollution
The coronavirus and the confinement imposed on more than half the world have profoundly changed our daily lives.
Rarely have we been faced with such an abrupt halt to transport, industry and the economy in general. One of the consequences of stopping human activity is a reduction in pollution. Pollution is estimated to have fallen by at least 30% in the world's largest cities. The reduction in pollution has significantly and rapidly improved air quality in major cities, for the time being at least.
Which regions have benefited most from containment?
In just one week, for example, the San Francisco region saw its air quality improve by 30%. In China and Italy, air pollution was reduced by 10% to 30% in just a few weeks, thanks to restrictions on population movement.
There seems to be a correlation between the economy and greenhouse gas emissions: in 2008, for example, a drop in emissions was recorded following the economic crisis, but never to this extent.
Ideally, emissions reductions should not be linked to crises, but rather to a more sustainable reduction in CO2 emissions, with greater emphasis on renewable energies and less dependence on fossil fuels.
Coronavirus and air pollution
Paul Monks, Professor of Air Pollution at the University of Leicester, predicted that there would be important lessons to be learned. "We are inadvertently conducting the largest experiment ever," he said. "Are we looking at what we might see in the future if we can move to a low-carbon economy? Not to denigrate the loss of life, but it could give us hope for something terrible. To see what can be achieved".
Monks, the former chairman of the UK government's scientific committee on air quality, said that reducing air pollution could have health benefits, although they are unlikely to offset the loss of life due to illness.
"It seems quite likely that a reduction in air pollution will benefit people in sensitive categories, for example some asthmatics," he said. "This could reduce the spread of the disease. A high level of air pollution exacerbates viral absorption because it inflames and lowers immunity." Agriculture could also be stimulated, as pollution stunts plant growth, he added.
The World Health Organization describes nitrogen dioxide as "a toxic gas that causes severe inflammation of the respiratory tract" at concentrations above 200 micrograms per cubic metre. Particulate pollution can also be a vector for pathogens, while exacerbating existing health problems. The WHO is currently investigating whether airborne pollution particles can be a vector that spreads Covid-19 and makes it more virulent.
Autonomy
Today, entire sectors are closed, notably the airline industry. Once we're out of containment, the real question is: will the coronavirus pandemic fundamentally change our lives, or will we return to heightened activity to make up for lost time? Or will we simply return to our normal lives?
The answer is more complicated, and depends on the individual. Some sectors could undergo lasting change:
- Telecommuting could become more accepted
- Telemedicine could finally be more widely adopted by light patients
- Conferences could be 100% digital instead of bringing in people from all over the world, or at least allow people to choose to attend events by videoconference.
- Modes of transport and ownership: with air pollution levels falling, the argument for electric cars is more relevant than ever. Especially as people become wary of public transport. Of course, you need to ensure that the electricity used to recharge your car is of renewable origin to maximize pollution reduction.
What do you think about the decline in car-related pollution? Would you be prepared to switch to an electric car to maintain these excellent figures?
