Going green. Globally.The figures are conclusive: the production and sale of electric vehicles are growing exponentially.
In 2016, 2 million cars were manufactured, and more than 750,000 sold globally. The market is set to increase further because many countries are “trying to ban the sale of petrol or diesel cars, encouraging motorists to go green”.
An electric car is by definition running on electricity. Have you ever thought though what generates this source of energy? Or as an owner of an electric car, are you convinced it is totally emission-free? Sadly, it is not completely true. Indeed, electricity for electric cars, except if you live in Norway, usually comes from a mix of fossil fuels, nuclear energy and renewables.
Norway, the best model to be inspired by, generates all of its electricity from hydropower. At the other end of the scale, the majority of China’s electricity comes from coal.
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), “electric vehicles in China produce 188.5 grams of CO2 emission per mile.” In the United Kingdom the figure is around 76 grams and in France less than 3 grams per mile. These figures are, however, lower than any gasoline-burning vehicle, which on average produces about 250 grams of CO2 per mile.
Renewables, such as solar or wind energy, are growing fast and taking a larger share of the global energy mix. Portugal, for example, where the sun shines 300 days a year, has invested heavily in renewable energy, and as a result in May 2016, only renewable energy powered the country for 4 consecutive days.
Driving ‘green’ is 39 percent cleaner than driving a traditional car. This gap between electric and combustion engines is expanding and the difference will be 67 percent by 2040.
We are entering a new era. China, taking a leading position, has just announced its intention “to invest US$ 360 billion in renewable energy in the next 2 years” and the IEA Renewable 2017 report forecasts that China will account “for over 40 per cent of the total global clean energy mix by 2022.”
Sources :
WEF: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/03/electric-cars-are-still-coal-powered
BNEF: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-28/how-green-is-your-electric-car
IEA: http://www.iea.org/renewables/?utm_content=buffer30c2c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Photo credit: paulbr75 via pixabay.com
A really interesting fact that few people consider.
By the time electric cars are the norm, the way electricity is generated will have changed.
For example...
At the start of 2017, China announced that it would invest $360 billion in renewable energy by 2020 and scrap plans to build 85 coal-fired power plants. In March, Chinese authorities reported that the country was already exceeding official targets for energy efficiency, carbon intensity, and the share of clean energy sources. And just last month, China’s energy regulator, the National Energy Administration, rolled out new measures to reduce the country’s dependence on coal.
Thank You very much for your comment. Indeed, it is great to see that investements are forseen all over the world.