Carbon footprint of electric vehicles—Paul Chan

Electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions, but still have emissions associated with manufacturing and usage. Here we present estimates for lifecycle (manufacturing and operations) emissions of battery electric vehicles (BEV) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEs). This information is based on a Bloomberg NEF report. The report considers the lifetime average carbon intensity of the fuel and electricity mixes, including renewables. 

The lifecycle CO2 emissions of medium-segment BEV produced in 2020 and used for 250,000 km would be between 18% and 87% lower than those of equivalent ICE vehicles in the five countries included in this report. The disparity in these figures is mainly due to the different carbon-intensities of electrical mixes among these countries. For example, the more proportional use of fossil fuels such as coal in a country’s electrical mix will result in a higher BEV carbon footprint.