Electric vehicles are not as clean as they are touted to be,
according to a peer-reviewed article published in the IEEE Spectrum.
Unclean at Any Speed says despite sweeping public opinion
and the billions of dollars in subsidies granted to EV makers, the energy
intensive materials used in manufacturing electric cars, as well as the
life-cycle and disposal of the batteries, negate EV’s environmental benefits.
Author Ozzie Zehner, a visiting scholar at the University of
California, Berkeley, cites investigations from the National Academies and
explains that because EV batteries are so heavy, manufacturers use lightweight
materials like carbon and aluminum that are highly energy intensive to produce
and process. The magnets in the motors of some EVs contain rare earth metals
that are supplied by very few, including China, which has been trying to
restrict their export, making them uneconomical.
Zehner cites an MIT study that notes that lithium, copper
and zinc used in the batteries are extracted in ways that are energy intensive
and harmful to the earth. People living in regions where these compounds are
extracted are at risk of exposure to toxic groundwater contamination and air
pollution. Batteries can also be hazardous if not properly disposed of at the
end of their life-cycle.
The comprehensive National Academies study of the
environmental effects of EVs was sponsored by Congress, unlike other studies
touting EVs that tend to be sponsored by automotive companies, Zehner says.
Zehner, a former EV enthusiast, says shifting from
gasoline-based cars to EVs is just like changing the brand of cigarettes you
smoke. He also cites investigations from the University of Tennessee and Norway
that focused on the life-cycle impact of EVs and found that they perform worse
or on par with gasoline-fueled cars.
He recommends shifting electric car subsidies to more
robust options backed by research, including emissions testing, bicycle
infrastructure, smog reduction initiatives and land-use changes.
Article Credit: www.environmentalleader.com
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