Electric vehicles: A descriptive study of their environmental impacts

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i11.32235

Keywords:

Electric vehicles; Greenhouse gases; CO2 emissions; Renewable energy; Fossil fuel; Environmental impact.

Abstract

Invented in the 19th century, electric cars were not competitive enough to compete with combustion cars during the 20th century. With the growth of sustainable thinking and the debate about pollution, the environment and climate change, the burning of fossil fuels and the pollution generated by the process have become hotspots in the ecological debate. Due to the urgency of climate change, greater investments were made in technologies that minimize the problem and companies with more ecological proposals appeared on the market. This work aimed to concatenate and compare the main conclusions available in the contemporary literature regarding the use of battery electric cars, in order to describe their environmental impacts, especially when compared to conventional cars. It was concluded that the switch to electric cars is environmentally positive when combined with the change in energy matrix to renewable sources, reaching a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in certain studies. However, it is noteworthy that there was great variability of results regarding the reductions in emissions of these gases, with similar studies reaching results that differed 4.5 times from each other, due to the assumptions used. Alternatives were also found to enhance this migration of transport technology, such as carbon taxation policies, and negative aspects of electric cars, such as ocean and soil acidification and high human toxicity compared to combustion cars.

Author Biographies

Igor Rodrigues Arangues, University of São Paulo

Chemical engineer graduated from USP de Lorena (EEL-USP), with experience in a multinational in the areas of Continuous Improvement, Project Management and Data Optimization via AIMMS. Always interested in Engineering with Social and Environmental Responsibility of the impacts of his work.

Adriano Francisco Siqueira, Universidade de São Paulo

He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering of Lorena (1993), a Master's degree in Statistics from the University of São Paulo (1998) and a PhD in Statistics from the University of São Paulo (2003). He is currently Professor MS3 at the University of São Paulo and Professor at the School of Engineering of Lorena at USP. He has experience in the area of Probability and Statistics, with an emphasis on Probability. Working mainly on the following topics: Probability, Particle System with infinite particles, Nearest Neighbor Dependent Hop Rates, Markov Particle Systems.

Leandro Gonçalves de Aguiar, University of São Paulo

He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidade Santa Cecilia (2006), a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of São Paulo (2009) and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of São Paulo (2013). He has experience in polymerization reaction engineering, with an emphasis on mathematical modeling of reactions involving polymers. He currently works in the area of catalysis and chemical reactors at EEL / USP in the development of polymeric catalysts for application in organic reactions.

Patrícia Carolina Molgero da Rós, University of São Paulo

She is currently a professor at the University of São Paulo, in the Chemical Engineering Department of the Lorena School of Engineering (EEL-USP). She was a Junior Post-Doctoral fellow at CNPq between 2012 and 2014, at EEL-USP. She holds a PhD in Sciences in the area of Industrial Biotechnology from the School of Engineering of Lorena of USP (2012), a Master's in Chemical Engineering from the School of Engineering of Lorena of USP (2009) and a Degree in Pharmacy from the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (2006). She has experience in the development of biochemical processes, working mainly on the following topics: lipase, enzyme immobilization, enzymatic transesterification, enzymatic hydrolysis, microwave-assisted enzymatic processes and biofuel production, with emphasis on the synthesis of biodiesel using raw materials. Third-generation lipids: oleaginous microorganisms.

Diovana Aparecida dos Santos Napoleão, University of São Paulo

Graduated in Chemical Industrial Engineering from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering of Lorena - FAENQUIL, Master's degree in Industrial Biotechnology from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering of Lorena, Department of Biotechnology, PhD in the area of Energy Transmission and Conversion at Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Department of Energy and post doctorate in the area of Energy Transmission and Conversion at Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Department of Energy. She is currently a professor/researcher at the Department of Basic and Environmental Sciences (LOB) at the School of Engineering of Lorena EEL / USP (defunct Faenquil). She has experience in the field of Mechanical Engineering, with an emphasis on energy use and in Environmental Engineering in the treatment of effluents with advanced oxidative processes.

Hélcio José Izário Filho, University of São Paulo

He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering of Lorena (1985), a master's degree in Materials Engineering from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering of Lorena (1993) and a PhD in Chemistry from the State University of Campinas (1999). He is currently a professor at the School of Engineering of Lorena-EEL / USP, with Research Productivity PQ-2. He has experience in the field of Chemistry, with an emphasis on Analytical Instrumentation, specifically in atomic absorption and emission spectrometry and spectrophotometry, working mainly on the following topics: inorganic characterization and the environment (analytical characterization of solid and liquid waste and Advanced Oxidative Processes).

Marco Aurélio Kondracki de Alcântara, University of São Paulo

Marco Aurélio Kondracki de Alcântara studied Agricultural Engineering at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS. He holds a Master's Degree in Soil Sciences also at UFRGS, a Doctorate in Agricultural Engineering at the State University of Campinas – FEAGRI-UNICAMP and a Post-Doctorate at the Center for Research and Development of Soils and Agro-environmental Resources at the Agronomic Institute of Campinas-IAC-CPDSRA. Areas of expertise: waste treatment by advanced oxidative processes and soil pollution. He also works in the area of Currently, he is a Professor at the School of Engineering of Lorena, University of São Paulo – EEL-USP, where he teaches courses in Soil, Basic Ecology and Environmental Engineering. In High School at Colégio Técnico de Lorena, he teaches Biology subjects. He is currently a Member of the Environmental Engineering Course Committee – CoC-EA, as a Substitute for the Course Coordination.

References

Ali, S., Akter, S., & Fogarassy, C. (2021). The Role of the Key Components of Renewable Energy (Combustible Renewables and Waste) in the Context of CO2 Emissions and Economic Growth of Selected Countries in Europe. Energies, 14(8), 2034. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14082034

Arvanitoyannis, I. S. (2008). Waste Management for the Food Industries. Elsevier. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-373654-3.x5001-9

Carson, R. (2002). Silent spring (40th anniversary ed., 1st Mariner Books ed.). Houghton Mifflin.

Costa, J. E. G. (2019). Mass introduction of electric passenger vehicles in Brazil: Impact assessment on energy use, climate mitigation and on charging infrastructure needs for several case studies [Ph.D. Thesis, Universidade Nova Lisboa]. http://hdl.handle.net/10362/83963

Costa, E., Seixas, J., Costa, G., & Turrentine, T. (2017). Interplay between ethanol and electric vehicles as low carbon mobility options for passengers in the municipality of São Paulo. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 11(7), 518–525. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2016.1276651

Costa, E., Seixas, J., Baptista, P., Costa, G., & Turrentine, T. (2018). CO2 emissions and mitigation policies for urban road transportation: São Paulo versus Shanghai. Urbe. Revista Brasileira de Gestão Urbana, 10(suppl. 1), 143–158. https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-3369.010.supl1.ao15

Costa, E., Seixas, J., Costa, G., & Turrentine, T. (2017). Interplay between ethanol and electric vehicles as low carbon mobility options for passengers in the municipality of São Paulo. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 11(7), 518–525. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2016.1276651

Crabtree, G. (2019). The coming electric vehicle transformation. Science, 366(6464), 422–424. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax0704

Dias, M. V. X., Haddad, J., Horta Nogueira, L., Costa Bortoni, E. da, Passos da Cruz, R. A., Akira Yamachita, R., & Goncalves, J. L. (2014). The impact on electricity demand and emissions due to the introduction of electric cars in the São Paulo Power System. Energy Policy, 65, 298–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.09.052

Ding, Y., Cano, Z. P., Yu, A., Lu, J., & Chen, Z. (2019). Automotive Li-Ion Batteries: Current Status and Future Perspectives. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41918-018-0022-z

Ellingsen, L. A.-W., Majeau-Bettez, G., Singh, B., Srivastava, A. K., Valøen, L. O., & Strømman, A. H. (2014). Life Cycle Assessment of a Lithium-Ion Battery Vehicle Pack: LCA of a Li-Ion Battery Vehicle Pack. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 18(1), 113–124. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12072

Empresa de Pesquisa Energética - EPE. (2021). Balanço Energético Nacional 2021. Relatório Síntese. https://www.epe.gov.br/sites-pt/publicacoes-dados-abertos/publicacoes/PublicacoesArquivos/publicacao-601/topico-588/BEN_S%C3%ADntese_2021_PT.pdf

Falcão, E. A. M., Teixeira, A. C. R., & Sodré, J. R. (2017). Analysis of CO2 emissions and techno-economic feasibility of an electric commercial vehicle. Applied Energy, 193, 297–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.02.050

Finkbeiner, M., Inaba, A., Tan, R., Christiansen, K., & Klüppel, H.-J. (2006). The New International Standards for Life Cycle Assessment: ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 11(2), 80–85. https://doi.org/10.1065/lca2006.02.002

Fuc, P., Kurczewski, P., Lewandowska, A., Nowak, E., Selech, J., & Ziolkowski, A. (2016). An environmental life cycle assessment of forklift operation: A well-to-wheel analysis. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 21(10), 1438–1451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-016-1104-y

Gil, A. C. (2009). Como elaborar projetos de pesquisa. Atlas.

Hawkins, T. R., Singh, B., Majeau‐Bettez, G., & Strømman, A. H. (2013). Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 17(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00532.x

Hoekstra, A., & Steinbuch, M. (2020). Comparing the lifetime green house gas emissions of electric cars with the emissions of cars using gasoline or diesel (p. 30). Eindhoven University of Technology. https://www.avere.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/englisch_Studie-EAuto-versus-Verbrenner_CO2.pdf

Høyer, K. G. (2008). The history of alternative fuels in transportation: The case of electric and hybrid cars. Utilities Policy, 16(2), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2007.11.001

International Energy Agency - IEA. (2020). Global EV Outlook 2020: Entering the decade of electric drive? [Technology report]. International Energy Agency. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2020

Ji, S., Cherry, C. R., J. Bechle, M., Wu, Y., & Marshall, J. D. (2012). Electric Vehicles in China: Emissions and Health Impacts. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(4), 2018–2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/es202347q

Kubański, M. (2020). Prospects for the Use of Electric Vehicles in Public Transport on the Example of the City of Czechowice-Dziedzice. Transportation Research Procedia, 44, 110–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2020.02.016

Larminie, J., & Lowry, J. (2012). Electric vehicle technology explained (Second edition). Wiley, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication.

Lombardi, L., Tribioli, L., Cozzolino, R., & Bella, G. (2017). Comparative environmental assessment of conventional, electric, hybrid, and fuel cell powertrains based on LCA. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 22(12), 1989–2006. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-017-1294-y

Lotfalipour, M. R., Falahi, M. A., & Ashena, M. (2010). Economic growth, CO2 emissions, and fossil fuels consumption in Iran. Energy, 35(12), 5115–5120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2010.08.004

Lvovsky, K., Hughes, G., Maddison, D., Ostro, B., & Pearce, D. (2000). Environmental costs of fossil fuels—A rapid assessment method with application to six cities (Technical Paper No. 78; Environment Department Papers, p. 39). World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18303

Ma, H., Balthasar, F., Tait, N., Riera-Palou, X., & Harrison, A. (2012). A new comparison between the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of battery electric vehicles and internal combustion vehicles. Energy Policy, 44, 160–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.01.034

Martins, F., Felgueiras, C., Smitkova, M., & Caetano, N. (2019). Analysis of Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption and Environmental Impacts in European Countries. Energies, 12(6), 964. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12060964

Masson-Delmotte, V. P., Zhai, A., Pirani, S. L., Connors, C., Péan, S., Berger, N., Caud, Y., Chen, L., Goldfarb, M. I., Gomis, M., Huang, K., Leitzell, L., Lonnoy, J. B. L., Matthews, T. K., Maycock, T., Waterfield, O., Yelekçi, R. Y., & Zhou, B. (2021). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report_smaller.pdf

Prashad, V., & Bejarano, A. (2019, March). Elon Musk: Um neoconquistador do lítio sul-americano. Revista Opera. https://revistaopera.com.br/2020/03/19/elon-musk-um-neoconquistador-do-litio-sul-americano/

Mierlo, J. van, Messagie, M., & Rangaraju, S. (2017). Comparative environmental assessment of alternative fueled vehicles using a life cycle assessment. Transportation Research Procedia, 25, 3435–3445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.05.244

Milev, G., Hastings, A., & Al-Habaibeh, A. (2021). The environmental and financial implications of expanding the use of electric cars—A Case study of Scotland. Energy and Built Environment, 2(2), 204–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbenv.2020.07.005

Ou, X., Xiaoyu, Y., & Zhang, X. (2011). Life-cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for electricity generation and supply in China. Applied Energy, 88(1), 289–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.05.010

Pero, F. D., Delogu, M., & Pierini, M. (2018). Life Cycle Assessment in the automotive sector: A comparative case study of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and electric car. Procedia Structural Integrity, 12, 521–537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostr.2018.11.066

Qiao, Q., Zhao, F., Liu, Z., He, X., & Hao, H. (2019). Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of Electric Vehicles in China: Combining the vehicle cycle and fuel cycle. Energy, 177, 222–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2019.04.080

Qiao, Q., Zhao, F., Liu, Z., Hao, H., He, X., Przesmitzki, S. V., & Amer, A. A. (2020). Life cycle cost and GHG emission benefits of electric vehicles in China. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 86, 102418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2020.102418

Romare, M., & Dahllöf, L. (2017). The Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Lithium-Ion Batteries: A study with focus on Current Technology and batteries for light-duty vehicles (Technical Report C 243; p. 49). IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute. ISBN 978-91-88319-60-9

Rothaermel, F. T. (2021). Strategic management (Fifth edition). McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 126026128X

Scrosati, B. (2011). History of lithium batteries. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 15(7–8), 1623–1630. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-011-1386-8

Sun, X., Li, Z., Wang, X., & Li, C. (2019). Technology Development of Electric Vehicles: A Review. Energies, 13(1), 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010090

Tsilev, K. (2019). Well-to-Wheel – How to better understand it. Gmobility. https://gmobility.eu/what-is-well-to-wheel

Un-Noor, F., Padmanaban, S., Mihet-Popa, L., Mollah, M., & Hossain, E. (2017). A Comprehensive Study of Key Electric Vehicle (EV) Components, Technologies, Challenges, Impacts, and Future Direction of Development. Energies, 10(8), 1217. https://doi.org/10.3390/en10081217

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2011). Climate change science—The status of climate change science today (7p.). United Nations Climate Change. https://unfccc.int/files/press/backgrounders/application/pdf/press_factsh_science.pdf

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2021). United Nations Climate Change Annual Report 2020 (74p.) [Annual Report]. United Nations Framework. https://unfccc.int/annualreport

Varta Automotive. (2021). Como funciona uma bateria? https://www.varta-automotive.pt/pt-pt/apoio-da-varta-sobre-baterias/definicoes-das-baterias/como-funciona-uma-bateria

Westbrook, M. (2001). The Electric Car: Development and future of battery, hybrid and fuel-cell cars (Energy Engineering) (Institution of Electrical Engineers, Ed.). Institution of Electrical Engineers. ISBN 978-0-85296-013-4

Woo, J., Choi, H., & Ahn, J. (2017). Well-to-wheel analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for electric vehicles based on electricity generation mix: A global perspective. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 51, 340–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2017.01.005

World Commission on Environment and Development (Ed.). (1987). Our common future (383p.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-282080-8.

World Economic Forum, W. (2020). Consequences of a Mobile Future: Creating an Environmentally Conscious Life Cycle for Lead-Acid Batteries (29p.). Geneva.

Zhang, R., & Fujimori, S. (2020). The role of transport electrification in global climate change mitigation scenarios. Environmental Research Letters, 15(3), 034019. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab6658

Zheng, G., & Peng, Z. (2021). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of BEV’s environmental benefits for meeting the challenge of ICExit (Internal Combustion Engine Exit). Energy Reports, 7, 1203–1216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2021.02.039

Zhou, G., Ou, X., & Zhang, X. (2013). Development of electric vehicles use in China: A study from the perspective of life-cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Energy Policy, 59, 875–884. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.04.057

Downloads

Published

13/08/2022

How to Cite

ARANGUES, I. R.; SIQUEIRA, A. F.; AGUIAR, L. G. de; RÓS, P. C. M. da; NAPOLEÃO, D. A. dos S.; IZÁRIO FILHO, H. J.; ALCÂNTARA, M. A. K. de. Electric vehicles: A descriptive study of their environmental impacts. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 11, p. e10111132235, 2022. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v11i11.32235. Disponível em: https://www.rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/32235. Acesso em: 26 apr. 2024.

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 11

Section

Review Article

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Igor Rodrigues Arangues; Adriano Francisco Siqueira; Leandro Gonçalves de Aguiar; Patrícia Carolina Molgero da Rós; Diovana Aparecida dos Santos Napoleão; Hélcio José Izário Filho; Marco Aurélio Kondracki de Alcântara

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.