82 INNOVATION & TECH TODAY | SUMMER 2019
Produced in partnership withTaking a Closer Look at
Electric Vehicles
It’s no secret that electric vehicles have a number of environmental benefits; however, it’s
important that we take a critical look at this technology, rather than blindly follow it as our
environmental savior.
By Alex Moersen“We will not stop until every car on
the road is electric.” – Elon MuskThis quote, credited to what many consider
the Father of the Electric Car Craze, paints a
picture for an electric future. While it may be
some time before every car on the road is
electric, there is a definite trend in that
direction. According to Statista, over 1.93
million electric vehicles were in use, worldwide,
in 2017, up from 1.18 million in 2016.While Elon Musk may have pioneered the
trend, his feelings about electric cars aren’t
completely unique. Carlos Ghosn, former CEO
of Renault-Nissan, was once quoted, “The time
is right for electric cars – in fact, the time is
critical.”The excitement around electric cars makes
sense. Electric vehicles (EVs) are much more
eco-friendly than their gas-guzzling
counterparts. A focus on EVs reduces our
dependence on fossil fuels. EVs are also being
made more affordable as more and more
companies are producing them. In fact, a
number of mainstream automobile
manufacturers have pledged to go full electric.
In 2017, Volvo pledged that all of their vehicles
produced after 2019 would be electric or hybrid.
That same year, Jaguar made the same pledge
starting after 2020. Big rig trucks are also
moving in the direction of electric. Even Harley
Davidson has been developing an electric
motorcycle.
However, with any popular technology, it’s
important to take a critical look. Electric
vehicles have become popular for their low
emissions, but how low is their environmentalimpact, really? Emissions is just one part of the
equation. In the case of EVs, two main issues to
consider are a concept called “well-to-wheel”
emissions and the end-life of EV batteries.
Well-to-Wheel Emissions
Well-to-wheel emissions is an overarching
term which includes the greenhouse gases and
air pollutants that are emitted to produce the
energy being used to power an EV. While EVs
don’t run on gasoline, the energy they run on
has to come from somewhere.
Vehicle emissions can be divided into two
general categories: air pollutants and
greenhouse gases (GHGs). In the case of
conventional vehicles with an internal
combustion engine, pollutants and GHGs are
emitted directly through the tailpipe, as well asthrough evaporation from the vehicle’s fuel
system and during the fueling process. On the
other hand, what is so intriguing about EVs is
that they produce zero tailpipe emissions,
significantly lowering their direct emissions.
This is where well-to-wheel emissions come
in, including all pollutants and GHGs related to
fuel production, processing, distribution, and
use. For gasoline, this involves the extraction,
refinement, distribution, and use of petroleum.
On the other hand, most electric power plants
produce emissions, too, and those emissions
should be taken into account when considering
the environmental impact of EVs.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy,
fully electric vehicles emit an average of 4,450
pounds of CO2 each year. For comparison,(Top) Illustration showing battery pack re-use system.
(Bottom) Re-used Toyota Camry Hybrid battery packs
store energy generated by solar panels in an innovative
distributed energy system now online at the Lamar
Buffalo Ranch field campus in Yellowstone National
Park. Photos Toyota USA