Anyone who owns a battery electric car today gasoline prefers, protects the climate in the long term. According to a new study by the ICCT, the Stromer two thirds fewer greenhouse gases.
The environmental organization ICCT compared the greenhouse gas emissions of different types of cars and drive systems in a life cycle analysis. The results show that only battery electric or with fuel cells powered cars offer the potential for low-greenhouse gas usage. Especially with battery-electric cars, significant advantages in terms of greenhouse gas emissions can already be achieved compared to gasoline-powered cars. With this, the researchers support the demands of the future and climate protection program “Fit for 55” presented by the EU in mid-July, which provides for a general ban on the registration of new vehicles with diesel, gasoline or hybrid drives.
These and other plans for combustion bans have been criticized again and again in the recent past, and assuming that the e-car has an only slightly better carbon footprint, assuming a low proportion of green electricity in the power grids. But the ICCT researchers come to a completely different conclusion. According to this, cars with battery-electric drives already registered this year will ensure significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline-powered vehicles. According to the calculation model, current compact-class BEVs, especially in Europe, would emit 63 to 69 percent less greenhouse gas compared to gasoline-powered vehicles. A power mix for the period 2021 to 2038 based on the EU's climate plans is assumed. If the electricity came exclusively from CO2-neutral sources, up to 78 to 81 percent fewer life cycle emissions could be expected. In view of the EU requirements for the expansion of renewable energies, the researchers consider an emissions advantage of 2030 to 71 percent for newly registered e-cars from 77 compared to gasoline-powered cars in the compact class as likely.
The analysis entitled “A global comparison of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of combustion engines and electric passenger cars” focused on the four most important car market regions of Europe, USA, China and India, as these currently account for around 70 % of all global new car sales fall. The ICCT team looked at battery and hydrogen fuel cell EVs, plug-in hybrid EVs, natural gas, biofuels and e-fuels. The analysis also takes into account average carbon intensity of fuel and electricity mixes, taking into account current energy policy over the entire vehicle lifespan. The long-term development of CO2 emissions during production was also taken into account, taking local differences into account. The balance was calculated for the two approval periods 2021 and 2030.
Due to the differences in the electricity and vehicle mix and many different factors in production, the emissions benefits are lower in other important vehicle markets. However, the analysis already sees the battery-electric drive as an advantage here as well. In the USA, electric vehicles registered today would emit 60 to 68 percent fewer greenhouse gases, in China it is 37 to 45 percent due to the high proportion of coal-fired electricity, and in India the emission reduction is estimated at 19 to 34 percent.
In addition to battery-electric cars, hydrogen-powered e-cars can also be beneficial for the climate in the long term. Natural gas, on the other hand, does not offer any climatic advantages compared to gasoline and diesel, and neither does many biofuels. According to the ICCT, a sufficient supply of biofuels with a very low greenhouse gas content, biogas and e-fuels are not expected to decarbonise vehicles with combustion engines. Drivers of plug-in hybrids are also too dependent on gasoline engines for this class to be a long-term solution for the climate, according to the ICCT.