Electric cars produce less CO2 than petrol vehicles, study confirms

Electric cars produce less CO2 than petrol vehicles, study confirms (The Guardian)

• According to a new study published in the journal Nature Sustainability by scientists from the universities of Exeter, Nijmegen, and Cambridge, EVs produce less carbon dioxide than petrol cars across the vast majority of the globe (95%).
• The researchers conducted lifecycle assessments which showed that even where substantial amounts of fossil fuels are used in electricity generation, EVs recorded a CO2 saving over conventional cars and fossil fuel heating.
• The only exceptions are heavily coal-dependent countries (e.g. Poland). In the UK, the CO2 savings from using EVs lie at about 30%, compared to c. 70% in countries such as Sweden and France, which get most of their electricity from renewable sources and nuclear, respectively.

Analysis and Comments

• This is – as the article mentions – a much debated topic and the key point emphasized by the results of this new study is that even if future end-use electrification is not matched by rapid power-sector decarbonisation, EVs will still almost certainly reduce emissions in most world regions (i.e. individual countries, not just looking at the global average), compared to fossil-fuel alternatives.
• Current low oil/gasoline prices are surely not going to help the cause, but we note that despite our expectation that EV sales will collapse in Europe and the US similar to China’s 80% yoy fall in January/February, but analysts think** sales will see a recovery to higher levels in 2021 (if there are no significant secondary rounds of infection).
• One of the key factors holding back large-scale EV adoption remains infrastructure weakness – however, in my view this could see strong improvement as economic stimulus programmes are likely to prioritise investment in clean energy infrastructure.

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