Electric vehicles are at the forefront of a current movement for sustainability in tech around the globe. Brands like Tesla and Toyota boast that purchasing their new EV models will significantly reduce your yearly carbon emissions. However, some savvy drivers might ask: what about the old car I have sitting at home? The one handed down to me from a relative, or bought on craigslist for a discount? Don’t they say that thrifting is sustainable, too? Let’s take a look:

Gas Vehicle Pollution

It’s no secret that gas-powered vehicles are trashing our atmosphere with continuous carbon dioxide output. The haze of gray smoke from each individual tailpipe is something we see and ignore every day – but it doesn’t go away. It stays trapped in the clouds, eating away at our atmosphere.

The corporate solution to this pressing issue is the rollout of electric and hybrid vehicles. These are marketed as ‘clean’ and ‘healthy’ for the earth, as if buying one is doing mother nature a good deed. The truth, however, is questionable:

Electric Vehicle Manufacturing

Popular electric vehicles like the Tesla Model 3, BMW i7, and the new Toyota Prius have something in common: they are all manufactured with a lithium-ion battery. All of the leading electric vehicle models, and most leading PHEV (plug-in hybrid vehicle) models run on rechargeable lithium ions.

According to research done at MIT, vehicles equipped with these batteries expel anywhere between 3 and 17 U.S. tons of carbon dioxide to manufacture. This is a median 10 tons of carbon released into our atmosphere for every new battery made.

The Bottom Line

Using any kind of vehicle is bad for the environment. This is especially true for brand new vehicles that are propelled by gasoline. Used cars of any kind are ideal, and new electric vehicles are, at the very least, a lesser evil than their gas-powered counterparts. Here are some numbers for your consideration:

• Fully electric vehicles emit a median of 10 U.S tons of carbon into the world upon their creation. They also emit an average of 1.4 tons a year through the electricity they consume. By purchasing and driving a full electric vehicle for two years, you will likely expel 13+ tons of carbon into the atmosphere. For five years, that number grows to 17.

• Hybrid vehicles emit the same 10 tons upon creation and expel an average of 2.4 tons per year. By purchasing and driving a hybrid vehicle for two years, you will likely expel 15+ tons of carbon into the atmosphere. For five years, that number grows to 22.

• A used gas-powered car emits an average of 5 tons of carbon per year. By purposefully driving a used car, you are standing against the manufacturing of new gas vehicles. Driving your used car for two years will likely expel 10+ tons of carbon into the air. For five years, that number grows to 25. It is also important to note that older vehicles with high milage can be upcycled for parts.

As you can gather, these numbers are not as far apart as electric vehicle companies would have you believe. Used gas vehicles are arguably as sustainable as new electric ones – at least for the short-term.

The Future Ahead

One thing that we don’t know for sure is the future of the electric vehicle. How will they age? Will the lithium battery become inefficient or ineffective in a decade, or sooner? Will there be an influx of new batteries made to replace ones that fail? This is a pessimistic kind of concern, but still valid, nonetheless.

Another possibility is that we create a more sustainable ion battery, using an element like sodium instead of lithium. Something less harsh, and easier to obtain. Projects like this are currently in development, but the timetable is uncertain.

We all want to do what we can to protect and repair the earth, so we ask that you remember: looking towards the science of sustainability is crucial, whether you’re purchasing a new car or anything else!

References

EPA. (2022, June 30). Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle. US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle

How much CO2 is emitted by manufacturing batteries? | MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering. (2022). Mit.edu. https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/how-much-co2-emitted-manufacturing-batteries#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20the%20Tesla%20Model%203%20holds%20an

‌