Greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, etc.) emissions are the biggest contributor to global warming and thus climate change. By containing the heat of solar radiation from getting out into space, these gases increase the earth’s average temperature and result in the melting of permafrost, glaciers and polar ice caps; thus, increasing the water level around the world. Subsequent changes in nature can produce heavy or infrequent precipitations which have led to cyclones or droughts across the world, shaken agrarian economies, and led to water and hunger crises. But this is no news. Even a child knows the catastrophic impact of climate change on the planet and its inhabitants.

The fossil fuels, whose extraction, processing, and consumption leads to the emission of these gases, are largely used by the automobiles that we drive on the roads every day. Recent innovations in the energy sector have introduced electric batteries that can run our vehicles at nearly the same efficiency as that of any conventional vehicle, if not better. And in the wake of such disastrous changes, these electric vehicles or EVs provide solace with not only the much required environmental benefits like zero pollutant emission, silent drives, and fuel efficiency but also economical and fairly quick urban rides. As the research and development into the efficiency of these batteries increases, these statistics will only get better.

The nihilist in you would still drool over the sound of an engine firing up and prefer to ride these ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. Some more thoughtful ones will argue that silent rides might increase the number of road accidents as a vehicle’s sound is also a good indicator of its presence/position. Better mileage for long drives, quicker fuel recharge, and an already set infrastructure- you would argue. I would say sure! Why not. But there is more to an EV than what meets the eye. And although many environmentalists deem it as an eco-friendly way to travel, what it really is, is the lesser of two evils. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss the truth about using an EV on Indian roads.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE MIGHT GET UGLY

With less number of moving parts like the combustion engine, etc., the cost of maintenance of an EV as compared to ICEs, decreases considerably. There is an increase in the leg-room since most EV batteries reside at the base of the chassis, and with the low COM, the cornering becomes easier. In urban scenarios, where the average speed of an automobile is around 20 kmph and fast declining, better mileage arguments do not gain much merit.

In a Quora post, Brian Feldman, a robotics expert, and entrepreneur explained the efficiency of an EV: “Consider the Tesla Model S, which has an available 85 kWh battery and a 265-mile range. Consider a similar gas-powered car, which gets 35 mpg. Gasoline contains about 33 kWh of energy per gallon. Tesla uses 320 Wh/mile of energy (85 kWh/265 miles). The gas-powered car uses 940 Wh/mile of energy (33 kWh/35 miles). Once the energy is on board (not counting the efficiency of the power generation, oil refining, or charging), the Tesla is using only about a third as much energy as the comparable gasoline-powered car.”

Like many countries around the world, India’s economy heavily depends on crude oil imports. In fact, India is the third-largest importer of crude oil after the USA and China, having spent nearly 120 billion USD for 228.6 mn tonnes of crude oil in 2018-19. This crude oil is then further processed, stored, and distributed by PSUs and private players for people to consume. While the Indian government has been making a profit in this process, the declining value of the Rupee and inflation has made it looking for alternate sources of energy that are cheaper and more self-sustaining. This also means reducing its energy dependency from other states in the world. Hence, a technology with a prospect to satisfy the largest share of petroleum demand (which is diesel ~40 percent in 2015-16) would receive attention. Also, attached is the idea of reduced carbon emission and positive environmental impact. It should therefore not come as a surprise that the government is pushing in favor of greener forms of mobility and the use of EVs.

In July 2019, the Indian Finance Minister, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, allocated 10,000 crore rupees to the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme. This scheme provided additional benefits on the purchase of EVs and also boosts the manufacturing of storage batteries and charging infrastructures. Hence, owning an EV might be financially more accessible in the future.

Many agencies that project EVs to be completely green solutions of mobility fail to take into account the fact that the absence of tailpipe emissions does not mean the absence of pollution. Based on a comprehensive fuel-cycle analysis, many scientific works classify the polluting pathways of a vehicle into three types: Well-to-Tank (WTT), Tank-to-Wheel (TTW), and Cradle-to-Gate (CTG). WTT and TTW are together called Well-to-Wheel (WTW).

Well-to-Tank (WTT) analyses the efficiency and emissions generated during the process of producing the fuel and transporting it from the source to the vehicle. For electric vehicles, this indicates pollution due to power generation. Tank-to-Wheel (TTW) analyses the efficiency and emissions generated during vehicle operation, popularly known as tailpipe emissions. Thus, WTW (the first two pollution pathways) provides a holistic view of the efficiency and emissions associated with any fuel pathway. Lastly, the Cradle-to-Gate (CTG) analysis, which assesses the pollution generated during the manufacture of the vehicle and its subsystems, is also important and cannot be ignored.

The definition of ‘green’ is crucial because there is the danger that one may classify electric vehicles as zero-emission vehicles and account for maximum incentives by not taking into account the WTW and CTG emissions. The difficulty in quantification does not lie with the auto sector but in the power generation sector.

Let us consider WTW emissions, from a publication in a highly regarded, peer-reviewed, high impact factor journal, Energy. This study, the first to be based on the Indian drive cycle, reports a figure of 224g/km of CO2 for the Battery Operated Electric Vehicle. The corresponding figures are 185 for gasoline vehicles, 128 for diesel, and the lowest is for CNG hybrid at 89. The source of pollution in EVs is due to the current power generation mix. With 60-70 percent coal-based power generation, India is not a favorable destination for electric vehicles, at least in the medium to large vehicle categories.

Studies have been carried out by several academics the world over and the results are similar. China with the largest EV community is not reducing its coal-based power generation. The other analysis, namely CTG, is even more damaging for EVs. Another well-cited paper (Hawkins et al, Journal of Industrial Ecology) reports that EV production is two times more polluting than those of IC engine vehicles. For a 1,50,000-km vehicle life, EV production results in CO2 emission of 87 to 95g/km, while IC engine vehicle production results in an emission of 43g/km.

Another important problem that has not been considered is the pollution due to toxic waste during the manufacture of batteries, disposal of dead batteries, etc, though an optimist might argue that these things would improve in the future. Nevertheless, EVs exhibit the potential for significant increases in human toxicity (for people who will be exposed to battery handling), freshwater ecotoxicity (introduction of heavy metals from dumped batteries), freshwater eutrophication (algae bloom), and metal depletion impacts, largely emanating from the vehicle supply chain.

With these points in mind, it is difficult to portray EVs as a ‘green’ or ‘clean’ vehicle. Yes, it certainly produces zero-emission, but that is not where the story ends. The negative impacts of EVs which are just theoretical now can impact us very realistically in the future. While we are building the infrastructure to develop and use EVs, we should also put the pollution-mitigating parts of the system alongside. Else EVs would just be a bargain of an ugly situation over another.

CONCLUSION

In a very critical sense, the auto policy needs to be closely linked to the energy policy. According to the National Energy Policy drafted by the NITI Aayog, even in 2040, the overall fossil fuel contribution (coal + oil) will be as high as 78 percent, with solar and wind accounting for the rest (22 percent). If our dependency on fossil fuels for energy production is not replaced by alternate renewable ones, India will increase the amount of pollution it already creates and years from now we will be left hoping that another ‘X-fuelled vehicle’ will save us from a disaster that the EVs have created.

REFERENCES

1. Wang  Davis, CA (United States), Q. (California U., & Santini  IL (United States)), D. L. (Argonne N. L. (1992). Magnitude and value of electric vehicle emissions reductions for six driving cycles in four US cities with varying air quality problems. United States. Retrieved from https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6830754

2. 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

3. Hawkins, T. R., Gausen, O. M., & Strømman, A. H. (2012). Environmental impacts of hybrid and electric vehicles---a review. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 17(8), 997–1014. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-012-0440-9

4. Are electric vehicles really ‘green’?

5. Jhunjhunwala, A., Kaur, P., & Mutagekar, S. (2018). Electric Vehicles in India: A Novel Approach to Scale Electrification. IEEE Electrification Magazine, 6(4), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1109/MELE.2018.2871278

6. India’s crude oil import bill to peak at record $125 bn in current fiscal, Oct 2018. Economic Times

7. Indian Petroleum and Natural Gas Statistics 2015-16, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, GOI

8. Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs): Towards a policy framework, Niti Aayog, 2018

9. India EV Story: Emerging Opportunities , Innovation Norway