Are Electric Vehicles Actually Good for the Climate?

When it comes to discussions about energy and emerging technology, it's not always easy to find a consensus. But from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and MIT researchers to BloombergNEF and Columbia Law School's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, one opinion is consistent: Electric vehicles are better for the environment than their fossil-fueled counterparts. 

Why, then, do questions over that conclusion persist? 

For those working in the industry or advocating for clean energy, these recurring questions are nothing new. 

"I think that's just a natural part of that sort of adoption curve," said Ben Prochazka, executive director of nonpartisan, nonprofit organization The Electrification Coalition. 

Are EVs an improvement over cars powered by fossil fuels?

The calculation behind the claim that EVs are better for the environment is a complicated one, and must take into account everything from the vehicles themselves to the fuel they use and the processes required for both. 

But there is a general consensus. 

As a 2019 study led by David Keith, a senior lecturer in system dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management, found: "The rapid decarbonisation of transportation is critical if global efforts to mitigate the worst possible impacts of anthropogenic climate change are to be successful." 

Albert Gore is the executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, an industry-backed coalition of manufacturing companies and others in the transportation and energy world -- from LG and Siemens to Uber and the Tennessee Valley Authority -- working toward the adoption of electric vehicles for both personal and commercial use. 

In his experience, people often forget that the conversation around EVs and vehicles in general isn't just about the emissions they individually create, but the broader environment around how they're built, fueled and more. And often, people don't realize how much cleaner the electric grid is when compared with fossil fuels, especially as an increasing amount of our grid is powered by renewable sources. 

"I think it may be surprising to some folks that the carbon intensity of electricity on average is much, much lower than for gasoline as a transportation fuel," Gore said. "And gasoline is not really getting much cleaner. Electricity is getting cleaner very, very quickly."

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What environmental challenges do EVs present?

Just because EVs are, in general, a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels doesn't mean they don't come with their own set of challenges and environmental hazards. And for those opposed to electric vehicles -- for one reason or another -- those challenges take front stage. 

For example, in March, a New York Post article claimed a 2022 study that had "attracted a wave of attention this week after being cited in a Wall Street Journal op-ed" had claimed "electric vehicles release more toxic particles into the atmosphere and are worse for the environment than their gas-powered counterparts." 

In fact, that study by UK-based Emissions Analytics -- who describes their focus as "real-world tailpipe emissions testing" -- was largely centered on the fact that tire particulate wear emissions were 1,000 times worse than exhaust emissions, and that heavier EVs can lead to more tire particulate wear emissions than their lighter gas-powered counterparts. 

But focusing on that one element doesn't paint a full picture, and it doesn't reckon with the production and refining of the fuel itself. And often, that conversation is too nuanced and complicated for quick armchair assessments. 

While the production of EVs -- involving different materials and production processes than traditional vehicles -- requires different things, those resources aren't necessarily worse or more harmful for the environment. And even if the negative outcomes of their production can rival traditional cars, that impact is offset through usage over a small period of time. And as more EVs are built and purchased, those processes are being refined. 

"We're transitioning from a fossil fuel economy to potentially a mineral-based economy, and anything we do ultimately has an impact," Prochazka said. "So it's, 'How do we have the least amount of impact?' It's important, as we do this transition, that we're moving towards transportation education. At this point, it's only a question of 'when' not 'if.' But as we transition, we've got to think through how we make sure we have access to critical minerals in a way that is the highest environmental standards and the highest labor standards and that we're sourcing them from countries that share our democratic values. All those things become important." 

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How can the EV industry convince its doubters? 

Advocates for EVs know that improving both adoption and trust in the technology won't happen overnight. But that inevitably slow crawl doesn't make the effort to educate and inform any less urgent. 

And for those who hope to see them dominate the roads one day, it's about doubling down on the benefits expected to come from wider adoption of EVs. 

"EVs are the only vehicle on the road that can get cleaner over time," Prochazka said. "You plug into a grid and the grid keeps getting cleaner. We're reducing our oil dependency, we're reducing our oil demand. It's good for economic and national security. But then, as the grid cleans up, we're also reducing the emissions profile of an EV and that's pretty amazing."

But the frequent questions and arguments over EVs' merits do frustrate supporters and those who have studied the issue, especially when they come in the form of misleading or inaccurate information. 

"I think people can see something that feels more disruptive to their daily lives and things that they care about than maybe it is, and it can lend itself to some reactionary misunderstandings," Gore said. "I think that we have really been trying to consistently put credible, third-party, validated, academic, objective and truthful data out to folks who are grappling with these questions. … But it's hard to continue to try to be patient and just say, 'Things will shake out over time' when there is a really concerted and well-funded effort to ensure that doesn't happen."

But Prochazka has faith in a tried and true method: the word of mouth. 

"There's the cul-de-sac effect," he said. "Once your neighbor gets one, you're much more likely to buy one. Once you've ridden in one, and then once you've driven and charged one, all of a sudden those things become demystified."