A new analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) //confirm/i/is 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.
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.
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.
Source: Euroguss
