Energy and Emissions Comparison: Electric vs Petrol Cars

Energy and Emissions for Production

Electric Cars (EVs)

Battery Production Energy: Producing a lithium-ion battery requires about 50-200 kWh of energy per kWh of battery capacity. For a 60 kWh battery, this totals to 3,000-12,000 kWh. Source: ICCT report on electric vehicle life-cycle analysis

Total Production Energy: Including the rest of the vehicle, the energy required is estimated to be around 30,000-60,000 kWh. Source: Argonne National Laboratory's GREET model

CO2e Emissions for Production: The CO2e emissions from battery production are around 60-100 kg CO2e per kWh. For a 60 kWh battery, this equates to 3.6-6 tons CO2e. Including the vehicle, total emissions range from 8-15 tons CO2e. Source: ICCT report on electric vehicle life-cycle analysis

Petrol Cars

Production Energy: The energy required to produce a petrol car is generally lower, around 20,000-30,000 kWh. Source: ICCT report on conventional vehicle manufacturing

CO2e Emissions for Production: The CO2e emissions for producing a petrol car are estimated to be around 5-10 tons CO2e. Source: ICCT report on conventional vehicle manufacturing

Operational Emissions

Electric Cars

CO2e Emissions: The operational emissions depend on the electricity mix. For the UK, the average emissions are around 0.233 kg CO2e per kWh. Assuming an EV consumes 0.2 kWh per mile, the emissions are 0.0466 kg CO2e per mile. Source: UK Government Greenhouse Gas Reporting: Conversion Factors 2019, RenSMART CO2 Calculators

Petrol Cars

CO2e Emissions: For a petrol car with a fuel efficiency of 35 miles per gallon, and considering the emission factor of 2.31 kg CO2e per liter of petrol, this equates to approximately 0.267 kg CO2e per mile. Source: UK Government Greenhouse Gas Reporting: Conversion Factors 2019, RenSMART CO2 Calculators

Break-even Point Calculation

To determine the break-even point, we compare the cumulative emissions over time.

Initial Emissions

EV: 8-15 tons CO2e
Petrol: 5-10 tons CO2e
Source: ICCT report on electric vehicle life-cycle analysis, ICCT report on conventional vehicle manufacturing

Annual Emissions (based on 10,000 miles per year)

EV: 10,000 miles x 0.0466 kg CO2e/mile = 466 kg CO2e/year = 0.466 tons CO2e/year
Petrol: 10,000 miles x 0.267 kg CO2e/mile = 2,670 kg CO2e/year = 2.67 tons CO2e/year
Source: UK Government Greenhouse Gas Reporting: Conversion Factors 2019, RenSMART CO2 Calculators

Break-even Calculation

Difference in initial emissions: (EV initial - Petrol initial) = (8-15 tons CO2e) - (5-10 tons CO2e)
Annual savings: (Petrol annual - EV annual) = 2.67 - 0.466 = 2.204 tons CO2e/year

Break-even point (years):
Lower bound: (8 - 5) / 2.204 ≈ 1.36 years
Upper bound: (15 - 10) / 2.204 ≈ 2.27 years

So, the break-even point for the emissions, depending on the specific initial emissions within the provided ranges, is approximately between 1.36 and 2.27 years of driving 10,000 miles per year.