Are Electric Cars Better for the Environment?
Have you been hearing more and more about electric cars?
Maybe your tech-loving neighbors are gabbing nonstop about their new Tesla Model 3. (But listen, have you ridden in one yet? There’s a reason they’re so excited). Or perhaps you’ve just noticed more and more electric car news online, `or shared on your social media feeds.
If you’re seeing EVs all over right now, it makes sense. Electric cars may finally be having their moment — with a projected surge in 2021. Led overwhelmingly by Tesla, of course.
But maybe you’ve also heard conflicting opinions about whether electric cars are actually a helpful solution for climate change or not.
With that in mind, we wanted to share our thoughts on a question we’ve been hearing more and more as EVs gain popularity: are electric cars really better for the environment?
We’ve got a typical Sugar Hollow answer for the question of how much of an environmental win electric cars are. Which is to say: it’s complicated, but we do have an opinion.
Let’s dive in.
Electric cars are part of the transportation and climate change solution
Everything we do here at Sugar Hollow is related to moving toward solving climate change — and we see electric cars as a key puzzle piece (which is why we install EV chargers and can size solar electric systems to meet the added demand of charging an electric vehicle.)
Our take: On the whole, yes, we see electric cars as an essential step toward living in a way that’s sustainable for future generations, not to mention planning a more intelligent future where we don’t rely on finite resources to power our lives.
But also: electric cars aren’t a total solution. EVs are one part of the solution. From where we’re standing, fewer personal vehicles and better infrastructure for public transportation are probably an even more important part of curbing climate change.
On a personal, what-we-can-do-ourselves level, electric cars are better than the status quo — and if you’re asking us, driving an EV is a small step toward big change.
Electric cars move us away from fossil fuels
Besides contributing to climate change, fossil fuels aren't renewable energy. You can’t recycle burned coal — and we believe that instead we should power our lives with energy we won’t run out of. Right?
For the most part, driving an electric car means you’re not burning fossil fuels. Which is a win.
The exception is if you live in an area of the electric grid that still runs strictly on coal. Which is less and less likely, because coal plants are in steep decline. In the last decade, natural gas plants have replaced more and more coal plants in the US.
Of course, natural gas has (complex) issues too. Although it burns much cleaner than coal, natural gas pipelines and drilling sites leak methane, a greenhouse gas 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In 2018, methane accounted for just 3% of total U.S greenhouse gas emissions.
But since natural gas is on track to pretty much replace coal, it’s a climate change piece to keep eyes on — and a reason to stay informed on renewable energy policies to be sure solar, wind, and hydro can grow in the direction we need them to.
All that said, even if you’re charging your electric car by plugging straight into the electric grid, driving an EV is still better for the environment than driving a conventional car — which emits an average of 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.
What if you charge your electric car with solar?
Solar and EVs are a dream match. If you’re charging your electric car at home with your own mini renewable power plant — in the form of rooftop or backyard solar on a net metered system — instead of straight from the electric grid, you’re helping steer the U.S. away from both coal and natural gas.
And if your home solar panel system generates more solar at home than you consume in a day? You’re off-setting your solar use during the day, meaning your home and electric car are both running (mostly) on sunshine. Tesla’s Model 3 is even programmable, so conceivably, drivers can choose to charge their cars straight from their solar panels if they’re home during the day.
Curious to learn more about how solar and electric cars work together? Read this case study about homeowners in Hendersonville who have solar, battery backup, and a Telsa Model 3.
What about electric car batteries and the environment?
As demand grows for electric cars, the industry is grappling with the issue of cobalt and lithium, which are both central to EV battery technology.
Lithium-ion batteries, which power most electric cars, require both cobalt and lithium. And there are concerning challenges — including potential child labor for cobalt extraction and significant water and energy use for lithum production — to work out along the supply chain for both minerals.
And what about spent batteries? Battery life for electric cars is unclear since the technology is young, but at some point, if you own an EV you’ll most likely have a spent battery to figure out what to do with. And that’s a challenge industry experts are still sorting out.
So are electric cars better for the environment?
It seems important to acknowledge both the positive and the challenging pieces of electric car technology, so we can take tangible steps toward the future we want to see.
We can't overlook the fact that EVs come with some resource-related issues. At the same time, our outlook at Sugar Hollow is about continual improvement. And if our experience in solar over the last decade has taught us anything, it’s that those who adopt early technology make big change possible on a mainstream scale.
So from where we’re standing, yes, electric cars are better for the environment. EVs help move us away from fossil fuels — and they’re a crucial part of getting to the clean energy economy.
Resources
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/29/led-by-tesla-electric-vehicle-sales-are-predicted-to-surge-in-2021.html
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=43675
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/climate-risks-natural-gas
https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle
https://www.forbes.com/sites/billroberson/2019/09/30/the-clock-is-ticking-on-electric-car-batteriesand-how-long-they-will-last/#4b9e5d6a21d9
https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1558994