MUNICH: Electric cars have long been seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to dirty diesels, but research is showing that the amount of damage caused by electric cars is, in fact, worse than diesels.
So-called "zero emission" cars only help the climate on paper and are actually worse for the environment than diesel vehicles, according to a new study calling into question the eco-friendliness of electric cars.
Christoph Buchal, a Cologne physics professor, compiled the report with colleagues Hans-Dieter Karl and Hans-Werner Sinn for the Ifo Institute for Economic Research. It was published on Wednesday.
As soon as CO2 emissions from the production of batteries and the non-renewable methods used to create German electricity are taken into account, an electric car burdens the climate 11 to 28 per cent more than a diesel car, the study found.
A lot of energy is used in the recovery and processing of the lithium, cobalt and manganese used for the cars' batteries.
A battery for a Tesla Model 3 produces 11 to 15 tons of CO2, the study said. With a battery life of 10 years and capacity to travel 15,000km per year, that alone would mean 73 to 98 grams of CO2 per kilometre, according to the authors.
When the CO2 emissions resulting from grid electricity are also taken into account, in reality, the Tesla emits between 156 and 181 grams of CO2 per kilometre, and thus significantly more than a comparable diesel Mercedes, according to the study.
The fact that the European Union classifies electric cars as zero-emission cars is a deception, the researchers said.
The CO2 limit of 59 grams per kilometre prescribed for vehicles from 2030 corresponds to a consumption of 2.2 litres of diesel or 2.6 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres and is "technically unrealistic," they said.
Carmakers plan to switch the vast majority of their offering to electric cars, but the study's authors say that for the climate, methane-powered engines would be better as their CO2 emissions are one third lower than those of a diesel.
