How Sustainable Are Electric Cars?

Electric cars are seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional combustion engines, whose carbon footprint is worse over their entire life cycle. Nevertheless, there are doubts about the actual sustainability of electric cars. An analysis shows that some components have a significant environmental impact.

Road traffic has a significant impact on the climate crisis: according to the Federal Statistical Office, vehicles in the EU released around 740 million tons of CO₂ in 2021, two thirds of which came from cars and motorcycles. However, these figures are from the coronavirus pandemic, when there was less traffic. In 2019, EU-wide CO₂ emissions were significantly higher at 824.9 million tons. Despite more efficient engines, CO₂ emissions have risen by more than 20% since 1990, which can be attributed to the increase in the number of vehicles.

The golden age of electromobility

Electromobility is therefore increasingly being discussed as a solution to climate problems. Against this backdrop, interest in electric cars has also increased in recent years, as they are considered to be more environmentally friendly, particularly in terms of reducing CO₂ emissions. However, the idea is not new: electromobility experienced its heyday between 1900 and 1920, with over 33,000 registered electric cars in the USA in 1912. However, the invention of the starter motor for internal combustion engines and their greater range led to the breakthrough of the internal combustion engine. Political decisions and crises, such as the 1973 oil price crisis, promoted more compact vehicles with lower fuel consumption. From the 1990s, diesel vehicles were also subsidized to reduce CO₂ emissions, but these cars proved to be more harmful to the climate due to soot and nitrogen oxides.

Pros and cons of electromobility

Proponents of electromobility emphasize the reduction of CO₂ emissions and independence from fossil fuels. Critics question its environmental friendliness when production, maintenance, charging infrastructure and disposal are taken into account. The key question is therefore: how sustainable is electromobility really?

What does sustainability mean in electromobility?

Sustainability encompasses more than just CO₂ emissions while driving. It considers all aspects of the production, use and disposal of a vehicle. In order to find out which components of the electric motor cause the greatest environmental impact, life cycle analysis methods were applied as part of a master’s thesis. The analysis focused on ecological and technical factors. Social and moral dimensions were deliberately excluded, as they are difficult to quantify.

How do you measure sustainability?

In order to record and evaluate the environmental impact of an electric motor, criteria such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and resource utilization were used. This makes it possible to analyze the entire value chain from raw material extraction to disposal. This life cycle analysis makes it possible to compare different motor types such as electric, combustion and fuel cell engines.

The focus of the analysis was on the environmental impact of the production process of a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) for electric cars. The PMSM is an electric motor that is used in electric cars. The special thing about the PMSM is that it works very efficiently, which means that it consumes less energy compared to other types of motor to achieve the same performance. This allows the electric car to drive for longer without having to recharge the battery.

Aluminum and rare-earth metals as pollution factors

A key finding of the study is that the greatest environmental impact is caused by the use of rare-earth metals such as neodymium and dysprosium in the permanent magnets of the motor. Although only around 1 kilogram of these metals is required, their extraction and processing cause considerable ecological damage. In particular, mining in China and the consumption of electricity there, which is largely generated by coal, exacerbate the environmental impact.

Aluminum production, which is used for the engine housing, also proved to be energy-intensive. The mining and processing of aluminum in particular cause high CO₂ emissions.

The power source challenge

The source of the electricity used to charge electric cars also plays a decisive role in the life cycle assessment. In regions where the electricity supply is still heavily based on fossil fuels, the environmental footprint of electric cars is significantly worse than in countries with a high proportion of renewable energies. If the electric car is not powered by 100% renewable energy, the electricity consumption contributes to the formation of greenhouse gases.

Conclusion: step-by-step optimization of sustainability possible

The study aimed to identify so-called “hotspots” – i.e. those components of the engine that are particularly harmful to the environment. It showed that although electromobility is a more climate-friendly alternative to the combustion engine, there is still considerable potential for improvement in the production phase. In particular, the large amount of energy used in production together with the problematic extraction of raw materials cause ecological damage. Against this backdrop, the ecological potential of electromobility can be further increased if the challenges associated with the extraction of raw materials and the energy intensity of production are addressed. Steps towards more environmentally friendly production processes and the use of renewable energies could therefore significantly improve the overall balance.

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Rafael Dygant

Rafael Dygant, born in Cologne in 2001, was fascinated by mobility and electrical engineering from an early age. His interest led him to spend a practical semester in 2021 at a company that develops quality control systems for combustion engines. There he gained his first insights into the industry and a deeper understanding of the technology. During a master’s project, he finally got to know the world of electromobility and discovered his fascination for PMSM motors. Since then, he has wanted to deepen his knowledge in this area and actively shape the future of mobility.