Great question! No, an electric vehicle does not pollute more than a gas vehicle. Even though manufacturing the battery for electric cars does require a lot of energy, over the lifetime of the electric vehicle, it pollutes less than a gas vehicle.
There are two main parts to this question: the manufacturing process and emissions over the life of a vehicle. The manufacturing process of creating the electric vehicle battery is when the highest level of pollution associated with EVs occurs.
That’s because manufacturing lithium-ion batteries is currently a long process, from mining the needed materials to the physical build. This is where the majority of an electric vehicle’s carbon footprint comes from. Luckily, the automobile industry is actively looking for other eco-friendly options
to fuel cars. However, the lifetime of the vehicle is where the EV makes up for the battery footprint. Because EVs have zero tailpipe emissions and produce fewer greenhouse gases during building, they can go their entire lifespan without creating half the carbon footprint a gas-powered car will.
Another common argument is that since EVs still rely on the power grid, which still relies on fossil fuels, EVs pollute just as much as gas cars. Although EV’s currently use grid power, as more states become EV friendly, more eco-friendly electricity sources are on their way, so this concern is a short-term concern at best. And since EVs still don’t expel noxious gases, they pollute much less than gas cars.
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