Electric cars must be carbon-free from production through use

This article was originally published in our "Décryptage Mobilité" newsletter. To receive future articles by email as soon as they are published, Subscribe now. By Aurélien Schuller – Manager

Current events confirm this: The electric car craze is in full swing!
Among the indicators: announcements of new models, Tesla’s financial performance, which puts traditional automakers to shame [1], and its significant market share in France in January, with more than 8% of new vehicle registrations (admittedly due to a tactical shift in sales from 2019 to 2020) [2]. At Carbone 4, we have been building our expertise in electric vehicles for several years through a number of studies and publications, which we can summarize here: - Life Cycle Assessment of Several Car Engine Types in France  (December 2017). - The Carbon Footprints of Electric Cars in Other European Union Countries (September 2018). - The Briefing Note on Electric Vehicles in France (September 2018). As the studies progress, one lesson emerges: Electric cars may be a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but only under certain conditions, of which there are 3:

1. First of all, this may seem obvious, but it’s still worth pointing out that, The car must run on low-carbon electricity. We've already had the opportunity to discuss this in a previous article on hydrogen, it is regrettable that the The European regulation on CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles currently takes no account of the upstream energy consumed by vehicles. Let’s add one criticism of the European regulation: to a certain extent, it encourages the production of heavier vehicles, since manufacturers’ CO2 targets are adjusted based on the mass of the vehicles sold. But this regulation at least has the merit of having contributed significantly to the transition we are currently undergoing with the Significant growth is expected in vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions.If Significant efforts are required of automakers, and that's a good thing, This only makes sense if a similar level of effort is required from the other stakeholders involved in the carbon footprint of an electric vehicle, starting with the upstream energy companies, for the electricity generation, in particular, but also tomorrow for hydrogen, bio-NGV, or any other alternative fuels to petroleum products.
   
2. More broadly speaking—and this is our second condition—it is the life-cycle carbon footprint of vehicles, which must be reducedThus Battery manufacturing must also be as low-carbon as possible. Since battery manufacturing processes consume a lot of electricity, we can to question the wisdom of having batteries manufactured in countries such as China Of course, but and also in certain European Union member states, such as Poland or Germany? This issue echoes recent announcements of gigafactory projects in the EU, such as Tesla’s arrival south of Berlin [3] and LG Chem’s plant in Poland [4]. Conversely, there are projects in countries with low-carbon electricity mixes, such as Sweden with Northvolt or France as part of Airbus’s European battery project. But beyond the carbon content of the electron, we must recognize that The battery's carbon footprint is largely a matter of industrial production efficiency, which justifies the massive scale of this rapidly developing industrial sector. When it comes to battery manufacturing, let’s keep in mind the environmental challenges that go beyond carbon emissions alone: there is a need for transparency and compliance throughout the entire value chain to ensure respect for working conditions and the environment—from the mine all the way to the vehicle. And, of course, we can only hope that batteries are designed as effectively as possible using eco-design principles, with a view to their future recycling.
   
3. It is important toaccept a reduction in battery size, from a broader perspective of sustainable mobilityIn addition to the battery's low carbon footprint during production, The total carbon footprint of the battery pack should not remain the same—or even increase—due to a rebound effect leading to higher on-board capacity at constant weight, cost, or volume. The increase in vehicle battery capacity must strike the right balance between consumer expectations on the one hand (which, incidentally, depend on the performance and accessibility of the charging network) and the environmental footprint on the other. But in any case, Battery-powered electric cars will not be able to offer ranges comparable to those of gasoline-powered cars, at least with current battery technologies. Let's turn this apparent weakness into a strength: The development of electric cars calls for a broader reflection on our mobility needs, our relationship with cars, and the perceptions they evoke in terms of power and speed (see a previous article in this series on SUVs). On this point, it is regrettable that nearly one in two cars registered in Paris is an SUV [5], and that some electric models are so heavily equipped with massive batteries that some people refer to them as “electric tanks.” In a weight class lighter than a tank, it’s amusing to note that, according to GMC [6], an electric Hummer could become a reality.

To wrap up, rather than summarizing, let's start with a question: Which countries currently have low-carbon electricity and world-class automakers, and could therefore take advantage of the best that electric vehicles have to offer—namely, a low carbon footprint during both manufacturing and use—and a concrete industrial plan for the necessary energy transition? There's an answer to this question that might seem obvious… but we can't wait to hear yours!

Sources: [1] Autoactu.com [2] AFP [3] Les Échos [4] LG Corp [5] Motor1.com [6] GMC