Being one of the greatest greenhouse gas emission sectors, transportation systems are responsible for over 25% of greenhouse gas emissions today. To mitigate this issue, governments and the vehicle industry are coming up with solutions to mitigate this issue. Vehicle companies are expanding their reach into the development of electric vehicles and to promote this practice, and the U.S. government is granting tax breaks to companies involved in this new trend. Now gradually taking over dominance in today’s transportation industry, electric vehicles (EVs) are now being praised as the future of transportation– a cleaner, more sustainable substitute for gas cars. Beneath the shiny shield of the zero-emission slogan, are EVs really the best solution for this issue?
The Push for a Greener Future
In the past decade, motor vehicle electrification has emerged as a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine. In an effort to address certain environmental concerns, such as climate change, Members of Congress and some stakeholder interest groups have expressed interest in the promotion of battery electric vehicles and other alternative-fueled vehicles. By 2018, over 361,000 plug-in electric passenger vehicles were sold in the United States, as well as more than 341,000 hybrid electric vehicles, raising sales of PHEVs and BEVs by over 80%.
Why Choosing Electric Vehicles
One main benefit that persuades customers nowadays to purchase electric or hybrid vehicles is their promise for cleaner roads without changes in driving habits. According to the United States Census Bureau, the average one-way commute for American drivers is about 27 minutes each way per day, a distance which EVs are totally capable of. Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid, for instance, is able to provide up to 32 miles of electric-only driving. With the absence of tailpipe exhaust emissions, electric vehicles offer greater local air quality benefits than regular gas cars. According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, EVs tend to have significantly lower life cycle greenhouse gas emissions.
The Hidden Tradeoffs
According to the U.S. Department of energy, the expected life of an EV’s battery pack is between 10 to 12 years. Once a battery pack bites the dust, the environmental cost for processing it and replacing it with a new one can be fairly high. The recycling industry for lithium-ion batteries is less developed compared to lead-acid batteries in the United States. Reports have shown an estimation rate of less than 5%, with the rest improperly disposed of, leaving chemicals to the environment. In addition to the possible pollution brought from afterlife disposal of the batteries, producing large lithium-ion batteries used to power EVs is the greatest source of embedded emissions for both electric cars and trucks, accounting for 40 to 60 percent of total product emissions. In addition, a 2025 meta-analysis published in the International Cycle of Life Assessment reports that the production of lithium-ion batteries can release a substantial amount of carbon dioxide, from 16.47kg CO2-eq/kg of battery to 17.33kg CO2-eq/kg in China, with varying estimates based on the region, energy source, and manufacturing techniques.
Journey to Close the Gap
The good news is that the EV industry is rapidly evolving. The environmental impact of battery manufacturing can be reduced by using clean energy sources in production processes. For example, procuring the needed metals from sustainable producers, those that have switched to electrified mining equipment, can result in an emissions reduction of up to 30% per battery cell created. Active-material manufacturing is also a major part of the emissions, it requires a large amount of electricity to ensure process stability. Switching current electricity consumption to an around-the-clock clean PPA with 100% matching of supply and demand can help reduce 25% of total mine-to-cell manufacturing emissions. Moreover, most nonelectricity emissions in cell manufacturing comes from the electrode-drying process. To lower this emission, supplying a completely electrified cell manufacturing process with 24/7 low-carbon electricity can result in an average of 25% reduction of total mine-to-cell manufacturing emission.
References
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https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a41001087/pros-and-cons-electric-cars/
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https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11367-025-02541-9.com
- Image: https://www.iseecars.com/articles/electric-cars-vs-gas-cars