Modern electric cars offset emissions from battery production faster - Ifeu study

How environmentally friendly are electric cars really? A new study by the Institute for Energy and the Environment (Ifeu) from Heidelberg has confirmed: not only do electric cars reduce direct CO₂ emissions when driving, but their environmental advantage over internal combustion engine vehicles is also increasing with the development of technology.

What did the study show?

According to the scientists' calculations, a modern electric car offsets the carbon footprint of battery production after 25,000 km compared to a diesel car and after 45,000 km compared to a petrol car. At the same time, an electric car emits up to 60 per cent less CO₂ over its entire life cycle than cars with internal combustion engines.

What are manufacturers doing for sustainability in the field of electric vehicles?

Once an electric vehicle's battery pack has reached the end of its useful life, its life can be extended through use in stationary energy storage. For example, Nissan Americas headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, uses Nissan Leaf batteries to power the building during "peak demand" periods and to charge during "off-peak" periods.

When the batteries are completely exhausted, they must be recycled. BMW Group recently announced the creation of a closed-loop recycling system for high-voltage electric vehicle batteries in co-operation with SK Tes. On 1 November 2024, they launched the recycling of high-voltage batteries to extract valuable materials such as nickel, lithium and cobalt. The resulting recycled materials will then be used to create new batteries.

Source: Focus