The EV Dilemma: Examining the Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles
Indian automakers are aware that the majority of people today believe along these lines. Therefore, they are reducing the number of models with internal combustion engines (ICEs) like gasoline and diesel. They offered 168 of these models in 2018. But it’s now just down to 136. On the other hand, they have improved their EV strategy. The number of EV models increased throughout this time from 3 to 18. But what if we told you that EVs as they stand right now have a little flaw? They lack the needed results. For the environment as well as for your wallet.
If you are as shaken as I am by this discovery then I would strongly advise you to take this up with the folks at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Their researchers analyzed the data, performed numerous permutations and combinations, and then announced, “Guess what? The future should be hybrid, not electric!”
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What did this discovery lead to?
So, on the assumption that the cars have a 10-year lifespan, they ran several simulations. and that they log 20,000 kilometers of running annually. Then, from production to maintenance to recycling, they computed the emissions over the full life cycle, or what is known as cradle-to-grave.
The statistics also speak for themselves. The EV emits 187 g of carbon dioxide equivalent to every kilometer of use. At 167 gCO eq/km, the hybrid is operating. The typical gasoline vehicle generates 244 gCO eq./km. And if you’re wondering whose vehicles were employed in this investigation, they are the hybrid Grand Vitara from Maruti Suzuki and the petrol and electric Nexon from Tata.
Remember that emissions encompass more than just what is emitted from vehicles’ tailpipes. In such a scenario, EVs are an obvious winner because they produce no emissions. But consider how the enormous batteries that drive these cars are made. They need a lot of lithium, cobalt, and nickel. And a lot of greenhouse gases are released during their extraction and refinement. Therefore, it may be extremely unproductive to produce an EV right now. That means you might have just purchased a standard petrol car instead if you decide to change your EV after driving it for, say, 30,000 km.
Ultimately, fewer pollutants are produced during processing and mining. And since the battery is also charged whenever the car’s brakes are activated, it may be arrested without even being hooked into a power source. Additionally, it can increase mileage by combining the standard engine and the electric battery.
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Not to mention that India has been blending more ethanol (produced from sugarcane) into its gasoline. Additionally, according to the report, this blended gasoline is successful in significantly reducing emissions.
Therefore, hybrids do appear to be better for the environment currently.
A glimpse of the cost aspect
There are a lot of factors to take into account in this situation, including the cost of the car at purchase, yearly maintenance fees, the cost of fuel or energy to operate it, etc. But there are two possibilities to think about.
In the first instance, we have to deal with the government subsidies given to EVs. This is an extra boost offered to make the pricing more tolerable. In light of this and the nonexistent fuel expenses, it makes sense that the EV would prevail over a decade when traveling 20,000 km annually. So the hybrid wins out as the undisputed champion. Its TCO is only 11 cents per kilometer. However, keep in mind that no analysis will be flawless.
Our energy mix may undergo a thorough redesign, and we may increase our reliance on wind and solar power to produce electricity. The sum of these savings could be significant. On the other hand, gas prices could dramatically increase, and the researchers’ calculations might not turn out exactly how they had planned.
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But the study contends that hybrids are winning the race to reduce emissions, at least for the time being. Additionally, if you can persuade consumers of the cheaper ownership costs, it might also increase demand.
Conclusion
Given that hybrid vehicle are currently seen as the automotive industry’s stepchildren, it will be intriguing to see what transpires. EVs are subject to a 5% tax, however, large hybrids are subject to a 43% GST. Just that might deter consumers from purchasing these cars. And perhaps this explains why hybrid vehicles made up only 4% of all vehicles sold in India in FY22.
However, the number of people who support hybrids is rising. Maruti Suzuki, the largest automaker in India, stated last year that if we want people to give up ICEs and reduce emissions, we first need to provide them with reasonably priced hybrid options. Additionally, one of India’s top engineering schools is currently promoting hybrid vehicles.
