EV Skeptics Need to Leave StaticVille

By Gianni Kovacevic

In recent editorials, various thought leaders and think tanks have made the case that electric vehicles (EVs) and their owners are, in fact, not as green as one would think. While the data points they lay out are thought provoking, perhaps this onion needs to be peeled back a few more layers?
Their principal analysis has been to decipher approximately how much total CO2 is released when comparing an EV and a comparable gasoline or diesel model. Logically, this comparison not only needs to assume the manufacturing of each vehicle, but must also factor in operation over extensive amounts of mileage. We say there are statistics, and then there are statistics — let’s take a closer look.
The first thing to consider is that humanity does not live in StaticVille. Green and cleaner energy across the board is technology, and that means it is a progressive and dynamic process. Recall that for a time the microchip was doubling in power and efficiency every 18 months. While EVs may not be advancing quite that quickly, what is true is that there is an army of people working toward many aspects of enhancing EVs to make them lighter, stronger, cheaper and more efficient. It is quite correct that more CO2 emissions are released simply to create an EV — a well-respected blog recently cited 25,000 pounds (EV) compared to 16,000 pounds (gasoline). However, the majority of emissions for all motive transportation come from fueling them.