Are EVs Really Better Than Combustion Cars?
As the EV revolution pushes on, its haters get louder. Every criticism under the Sun is continually thrown at this burgeoning technology. But recently, I have noticed more and more dangerous misinformation being spread about EVs that undermine their planet-saving credentials. Today, I want to debunk two of the most significant pieces of EV misinformation out there, their environmental and human impact, to settle the score. Let’s start with the big one, the environmental impact. People are saying that mining for EVs is far worse for the environment than fossil fuel cars. The destruction of the mining needed, combined with the high emissions to produce EVs, makes them a bigger threat to the environment than good old gasoline. But this simply isn’t true.
A recent report from T&E found that “the raw material needs of EV batteries pale in comparison to the fuel burned by fossil fuel cars, which, unlike batteries, cannot be recycled.” This is because combustion engines burn through 300 times more material than that that is lost over the lifetime of an electric car. Don’t forget that petrol and diesel have to be mined and refined, too, and this process has dramatic environmental and climate impacts. So, while it is true that it takes more material and energy to produce an EV than a combustion vehicle, over its lifetime, the EV will have a far more negligible impact on the planet.
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