How Clean Are Electric Cars? -Quadratin Quintana Roo

Cancun, QRO, April 16, 2023. – Electric cars are considered less polluting than conventional cars; Since they do not generate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other atmospheric pollutants. For this reason, electric cars are promoted as the ideal alternative, for example, the European Union’s (EU) climate plan proposes as a rule that by 2035, 100 percent of cars will have zero GHG emissions, Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change as a measure to reduce.

Clean cars can still be dirty when you consider all the factors that go into their development and operation, such as how the electricity used to charge an electric car is produced, the vehicle’s energy efficiency and the entire life cycle of the car, including production, use and disposal at the end of its useful life.

Electric cars use electric motors powered by rechargeable batteries, which produce no direct emissions. However, it should be recognized that the electricity used to charge the battery comes from energy sources that may be polluting. In the European Union, for example, our world data shows that on average 15.2 percent of energy is produced. Member states generate from the combustion of fossil sources such as coal, but there are cases such as Poland where 73.1 percent of its energy is produced by coal, even as countries such as Germany have halved their electricity generation over the past 30 years. Had done coal, in 2022 it had to reactivate the power plants of this fossil fuel. Therefore, even if I managed to completely replace its car fleet in 2035, it would hardly be able to achieve the reduction in emissions caused by cars.

Another point to consider is the batteries that electric vehicles use, the batteries used in electric vehicles are not entirely eco-friendly, although significant efforts have been made to improve their environmental impact throughout their life cycle. Are. First, lithium-ion batteries, which are most common in electric vehicles, contain materials such as cobalt, nickel and lithium, which are extracted through open pit mining, causing enormous damage to ecosystems by blowing up land, chemicals And millions are used. According to UNAM experts, the concern of excessive use of water is worldwide according to Nature 2021 publication.

In addition, the production of batteries and the disposal of used batteries can also emit greenhouse gases and other pollutants. However, efforts are underway to improve the stability of electric vehicle batteries. Various researchers and companies are working on reducing the use of materials such as cobalt and nickel, or are looking for more sustainable alternatives such as manganese or iron. Gleb Yushin of the Georgia Institute of Technology and other collaborators are working to develop new alternatives to batteries that replace lithium and cobalt with less toxic and more readily available materials. Since lithium and cobalt reserves will not be sufficient to meet future demand, this suggests that the elements to be focused on are iron and silicon. In addition, more efficient battery recycling and reuse techniques are being developed to reduce the amount of materials being discarded.

The manufacture of electric motors used in electric vehicles is not entirely ecological, as its production also requires the extraction of raw materials and energy. However, compared to internal combustion engines used in conventional vehicles, electric motors have a much smaller environmental impact.

Firstly, electric motors do not emit exhaust gases, thereby reducing air pollution. Additionally, electric motors are more efficient at converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, meaning that less energy is needed to propel an electric vehicle than a conventional vehicle. This reduces the amount of power needed to make the electric motors themselves.

Efforts are also being made to improve the sustainability of electric motor production. For example, some companies are working to reduce the use of materials such as copper, which is needed to make electric motors, or are looking for more sustainable alternatives, such as aluminum. In addition, more efficient energy management practices are being implemented in production factories to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Manufacturing electric vehicles, like any industrial process, has an environmental impact, but it is generally considered to be more environmentally friendly than manufacturing conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines.

Of course, much remains to be done to improve the sustainability of electric vehicle manufacturing. For example, producing the components needed for electric vehicles requires a lot of energy and emits greenhouse gases, and the transportation of vehicles and their components also has a significant environmental impact. However, in general, manufacturing electric vehicles is considered a more sustainable option than manufacturing conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines.

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