Electric cars win in terms of climate balance – 73% fewer emissions

A new analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) confirms the leading role of fully electric cars in climate protection. Over their entire life cycle, they cause 73% fewer greenhouse gas emissions on average in Europe than comparable gasoline-powered cars. The climate benefit is growing faster than previously assumed, driven by the expansion of renewable energies.

Written by Editors EUROGUSS 365

graph about electric vs fuel based cars emissions

Climate balance improving faster than expected

According to the latest ICCT study, fully electric vehicles perform significantly better than all other drive types over their entire life cycle – from production to operation to recycling. Compared to 2021, the climate advantage of battery electric vehicles has increased by 24 percentage points. The main reasons for this are the rapid expansion of renewable energies in the European electricity mix and the high energy efficiency of electric cars.

“Electric cars perform significantly better in terms of climate impact than all other technologies, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, and emissions from electric cars are falling faster than expected just a few years ago,” says Dr. Marta Negri of the ICCT.

By 2025, the share of renewable energies in the European electricity mix is expected to be 56 percent, and by 2045, it is expected to be 86 percent. Since new vehicles are used for an average of around 20 years, electric cars will benefit particularly strongly from this change in the long term.

Other drive technologies with limited contribution

Hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrids only achieve emission reductions of around 20 and 30 percent respectively compared to gasoline engines. Actual usage plays a key role here: in practice, plug-in hybrids are driven electrically much less frequently than originally assumed.

Hydrogen vehicles can also only contribute significantly to reducing emissions if the hydrogen comes from renewable energies – currently, this is hardly the case in Europe. If fossil hydrogen is used, the CO₂ reduction is only around 26 percent, according to the ICCT.

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Battery production: emissions quickly offset

A common criticism of electric vehicles is the CO₂ emissions generated during battery production. According to the ICCT, this produces around 40% more emissions than the production of conventional cars. However, this emissions deficit is offset on average after around 17,000 kilometers driven – usually within one to two years.

Call for fact-based debate

Misinformation and misleading comparisons have led to uncertainty in the public debate on the climate balance of electric cars. The ICCT study shows how strongly results depend on assumptions – for example, regarding service life, the changing electricity mix, or actual energy consumption.

“Recently, automotive industry executives have repeatedly misrepresented the climate balance, especially when comparing electric cars and hybrids,” says Dr. Georg Bieker of the ICCT.

“But a life cycle analysis is not a wish list: it must reflect representative use over the entire life of the vehicle and be based on real-world data.”

The analysis takes into account all climate-relevant emissions – from vehicle and battery production to fuel and electricity generation to operation and maintenance – and, according to the ICCT, provides a sound basis for decision-making by policymakers, industry, and consumers.

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Editors EUROGUSS 365

euroguss365@nuernbergmesse.de