While it might seem obvious that electric cars have a smaller carbon footprint than conventionally-powered models – because they produce zero emissions – what often isn’t remembered is the process of making the batteries and generating the electricity isn’t particularly friendly to the environment.
It’s an issue that many EV sceptics have expressed, but new research from Volkswagen has calculated that electric vehicles are cleaner overall.
The German manufacturer put its diesel Golf TDI up against its all-electric e-Golf to compare the carbon footprint over the lifecycle of the model.
Using its ‘certified life cycle assessment’ process, it calculated that an e-Golf produced 119g/km, while the diesel emitted 140g/km during its life. The results showed that the emissions produced through using the diesel model throughout its lifetime worked out more than just the emissions used to produce the EV.
The only phase in which the diesel produced less CO2 than the EV was during the manufacturing process, whereby the TDI produces 29g/km and the e-Golf 57g/km, according to This is Money.
Scrapping battery packs is also notoriously difficult, with a struggle for them to be recycled. Volkswagen has said it is working hard to improve the recycling process, and has already invested heavily in a facility that breaks down car batteries in order to salvage the raw materials.
