Plug-in electric cars, often called EVs, are no longer purely an environmental statement but a tech status symbol too.
With global production rising, people have started to see more electric vehicles on the road. According to the latest figures, EVs account for only 2.6% of global car sales in 2019, reporting a 40% year-on-year sales increase (IEA, 2020).
They don't run on petrol, can be charged with solar energy, and are cheaper to maintain. Based on all these factors, I can say that EVs will make our environment better, but The Reporter Times has made some valid arguments on this.
Recently, doubts have been raised about the ethical aspects of buying one. Concerns around human rights abuses, child labor, and environmental risks in the extraction of minerals to make EV batteries are disqualifying ethical claims about cars (Amnesty International org, 2019).
These shocking reveals make us reassess the environmental credentials of electric cars once again.
Why Electric Cars Are Not As Good As We Think
I am discussing the top three factors that challenge industry leaders to rethink the way they produce EVs.
Real costs of EV battery production
The huge surge in the demand and sales of electric cars indicates a positive sign toward climate change. However, the predicted boom in the extraction of minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth metals used in the manufacturing of batteries undermines the green potential.
According to the latest stats, EV sales are expected to jump from 3 million in 2017 to 23 million by 2030. Similar growth is expected for EV batteries. Lithium batteries are forecasted to reach $58 million in the next five years, a significant jump from an estimated $7 billion in 2018 (International Energy Agency).
Shady mining practices
The mining of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and lithium in Canada, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, and Russia comes at huge human rights and environmental costs.
An investigation found that children and adults working in the hand-dug mines of DRC are not provided with any protection from the government or profit-making companies. Plus, spirals of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide making ash-chocked skies, churned ground covered in toxic dust, and waterways running blood-red portrayed an ugly image of the mines feeding the EV industry.
By 2020, the world will need 200,000 tons of cobalt, but not a single country inquire companies to report on their supply chain.
What consumers have to say about this
According to a survey conducted by a UK insurance company Aviva, 81% of car owners worry about the EVs battery range. The average range is 250 miles, and many companies are trying hard to extend the range. Even the longest range of the latest EV model S and Model X of Tesla is 370 and 325 miles.
That works perfectly fine for in-town commuting. But if you don't have a charger point near you and you're driving across the country, then you are in serious trouble.
All in all, the shift to EVs is great news for cutting carbon footprint, but developing countries will pay the environmental costs if proper actions are not taken immediately.
EVs don't cut congestion and pollution
Since plug-in electric cars are cheaper to run, do you think people would be encouraged to use alternative transportation modes? Well, I don't think so. In fact, EVs will encourage people to drive more.
According to a Deloitte study, there will be 21 million EVs on US roads, up from 2 million in 2018. This means more noise, air pollution, an inactive lifestyle, demand for more road capacity, and more obesity.
Coal-fired powered stations aren't emission-free
Electric cars rely on local electricity stations for charging. According to a study, It is counterproductive to promote EVs if the electricity they need for charging is produced by coal-fired power stations that emit huge greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
What if it is charged from renewable sources like solar panels and wind tribunes?
The vehicle emits no plumes of carbon, but they still release pollution particles from tyre dust and brake, which reduce air quality. Most hybrids combine a traditional fuel engine with an electric motor and produce some emissions. The slower-moving traffic increases the effect of these emissions (The Guardian).
This is why electrifying cars are not an answer to noise pollution and congestion. If EVs cause roadblocks like any other car, they could not be seen as a greener option.
According to the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS), the use of electric passenger cars still needs to be curbed in order to have a good standard of living without needing one. This could be achieved by adopting alternate commuting modes.
Even if all vehicles are powered by clean power, there should be fewer cars on the road to see a real impact.
How can everyone live without a car?
I know it's not possible, especially for those living in the suburbs or the countryside. Plus, eliminating congestion completely is not possible, but it can be reduced.
Better public transportation enables people and heavy goods to move around cheaply around cities. A clean transit system, including buses, trains, and underground tracks, also promote efficient mobility. Moreover, walking and bicycling can be adopted as active transport methods for small chores like grocery shopping.
The problem with dumping EV battery wastes
The production of plug-in car batteries has a greater environmental impact than you imagine.
Acceptance of EVs has been rising across the globe. This shift is a key factor behind the increasing demand for cobalt, lithium, copper, and rare earth metals. More demand means more mining.
Just like mining rare earth metals for batteries, disposing of battery waste is also an environmental problem. The used and damaged batteries release toxic gases. The core ingredients can threaten marine life if these batteries are disposed of in rivers.
The EV boom could lead to tonnes of lithium and cobalt batteries.
Offsetting demand with recycling
The demand for more mining can be controlled by reducing the recycling gap. As per the estimates, recycling metals can reduce the demand for energy-intensive EV batteries. Only 5% of batteries are recycled.
Plus, the cumulative demand for these metals would reduce by 50% by 2020 if companies recycle 90% of the cobalt and lithium (The Conversation).
Key takeaway
Climate change is a serious threat to our mother earth and humankind.
Without a doubt, battery-powered electric vehicles are an eco-friendly option to fossil-fuel-powered cars because of their immense environmental benefits. They are not fully emission-free but are obviously a greener option.
EV companies must focus on improving their ability to source raw materials responsibly through cobalt and lithium mines.
Powering electric cars through a renewable source of electricity can also reduce the environmental impact of the supply chain.
Author bio
Stella Lincoln is presently working as an Assistant Editor at Crowd Writer UK, a trusted and reliable to secure fast and cheap essays. She has been writing about car technology for five years. She is a true environmentalist and strives to let people make informed tech buying decisions.
Top comments (2)
I appreciate your thoughts, but still there is a lot of harm from petrol cars, especially trucks. I am really into green economics, therefore I want to invest in such projects, like last-mile delivery, because they do really care about the environment. I don`t think they would do something, that will harm more, than internal combustion engines.
Very interesting topic for discussion! I never thought about how electric cars can harm the environment. That's the green economy for you..
Still, think it's worth funding electric truck projects? Still, trucks with an internal combustion engine are not bad at polluting the air!