Are Electric Vehicles (EVs) sustainable?

This December marks my completion of four years of being an ‘EV user.’ Boasting myself as an early adopter of technology, I bought the e-bike in the B.C. (Before COVID) era. The excitement or euphoria of being the torchbearer of the Green Technology triumphed over the initial teething problems with the EV. However, after using it extensively for four years, particularly, when many people have adopted EVs in the last couple of years for their daily commute, I can say that electric is the future of the mobility sector at least in the two and three-wheeler segments in India. But then the most important question comes, how sustainable EVs or electric mobility is?

When the world is seriously talking about SDG (Sustainability Development Goals) and corporates mulling over ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues globally, sustainability is the keyword for the future of mobility.  The recent COP 28 summit in Dubai also aims to reduce emissions through pragmatic energy and create a 
meaningful impact. One of the primary reasons to introduce and promote electric mobility in the market was the concern over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their contribution to climate change. The elimination of exhaust pipe emissions in EVs is supposed to reduce air pollution and help combat this issue of clean air and climate change sustainably.

On average, an electric car emits almost three times less CO2 than an equivalent petrol or diesel car when the lifecycle emissions are compared. But then some people claim that the production of an electric vehicle (EV) produces a similar amount of pollution to a gasoline-powered car’s tailpipe. Because it is the fossil fuel that is used to produce an electric car. But, in my opinion, the green credentials of an EV depend on how power is generated in the area or city you reside in. If the electricity is generated using green energy, such as solar or wind power, then your driving will be free of emissions. If you charge the battery of your car or two-wheeler with electricity that comes from a local power plant that is powered by fossil fuels, well then, it will not be green i.e., emission-free. Still, the carbon footprint of an EV is less than a gasoline-powered Vehicle. The element that is almost always overlooked is the CO2 emissions of getting fossil fuels from the well to the pump. This involves pumping oil in a certain location, transporting the raw oil to another location for refinement, and then the logistics of transporting the refined petrol and diesel fuels to resellers. The carbon footprint of the oil pumping, refinement, and transportation of fossil fuels can range from about 0.4. kilograms per litre to 0.8 kilograms per litre. This CO2 equivalent includes not only CO2 but also other global warming gases such as methane. This is a substantial percentage of the roughly 9 kilograms of emissions from burning gasoline.

On the other hand, EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions. A switch from an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle to an electric one eliminates all direct emissions during the use of a vehicle. This is a massive benefit for our air quality, especially in metropolitan cities. And this reality has spurred the growth of EVs in the tier 1 and tier 2 cities of India where electricity is available in every household. 

According to a study by McKinsey & Company, the projected growth in e-mobility will not drive a substantial upsurge in total electrical grid power demand soon. This means there is no significant need for new electricity generation capacity for the time being. Also, the use of smart charging solutions can control the timing and amount of power used. Smart charging allows charging station owners to monitor, manage, and restrict the use of their devices remotely to optimize energy consumption. However, the dearth of charging stations has limited the growth of Electric Cars in India. It will take a fair amount of time to create an ecosystem that will eliminate the range anxiety of the EV user and make battery charging more convenient and faster for the end user. Still, government initiatives like the FAME and PLI have given a fillip to the EV industry and boosted the sales of EVs in India primarily due to the affordability factor.

Moreover, the continual improvement in energy production techniques and advanced battery technologies will result in less reliance on critical raw materials like copper and aluminum, which are used in the production of lithium batteries in EVs. This means that electric vehicles will get greener as the resources to produce and power them will not impact the environment adversely.

While it is a fact that EVs emit less CO2 while in use, it might also be true that the production process of an average EV results in similar if not more emissions than the production of a gasoline car. However, governments worldwide are already pushing to use recycled materials to decrease the lifecycle emissions of electric vehicles.

In his book, Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel writes that the world could overcome the oil crisis in the seventies and eighties because it grew its energy wealth not by increasing the energy but by decreasing the energy it needed. The EVs will also decrease the energy needed to power a vehicle thus increasing efficiency and sustainability. Because the Law of conservation of Energy states that energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, it can be only converted from one form to another J