Assessing The Eco-Friendly Quotient Of Electric Cars

EVs are the new-age global warming solution and are gaining traction worldwide. However, several studies indicate that the impact may vary across countries and they end up polluting more than their regular gasoline counterparts in some locations. Europe has the fastest growing EV sales in the whole world although vehicles in Kosovo and Poland churn out higher carbon emissions since the grids rely on coal as per REG data.

Carbon savings in the rest of Europe depend on how grids are supplied and when vehicles are being charged throughout the day. The best performing countries are Switzerland which has ensured 100% savings, and Norway, with savings of 98%. Others include France (96%), Austria (93%), and Sweden (95%) as per this study. However, the worst performers also include the Netherlands (37%), Serbia (15%), Cyprus (4%) and Estonia (35%). Germany saves 55% in greenhouse gas emissions. In Spain or Germany, lack of storage for renewable energy means that carbon savings from EVs are dependent on the time of day for recharging. Charging during afternoon ensures 16-18% higher carbon savings as compared to charging at night.

EV sales figures are spurred throughout Europe by subsidies offered by the Government and regulations for ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles from 2035 onwards. One out of five vehicles retailed last year in Europe were electric models, as per a study by Ernst & Young. The company expects sales figures of EVs to outstrip ICE models completely by 2028. Companies like Stellantis, General Motors, and Volkswagen have fixed targets for selling EVs in Europe in the near future. GM has committed to a total EV line-up by the year 2022 while Volkswagen has targeted 70% in electric car sales by 2030. Charging an EV in Ireland which gets 46% of energy from renewable sources, leads to higher carbon savings just as Moldova, which gets 94% of its energy from gas. This disparity in footprints needs to be examined carefully as per experts. Ireland churns out higher zero-carbon electricity than Moldova although it gets 13% of electricity from oil which is dirtier than gas and 9% from coal which is even dirtier than gas. It also gets 3% from peat which is the dirtiest in this category, as compared to gas.