Amid rising pollution in India, the government is promoting electric and CNG vehicles. This is the reason why the number of electric and CNG cars on the roads is constantly increasing. It is generally believed that electric cars are better for the environment because they do not emit fumes while running. But a study by TERI shows another aspect of this picture.
According to a study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), given India’s current power mix, CNG vehicles can have a lower environmental impact than electric vehicles over their entire lifecycle. That is, it is not enough to just look at the smoke coming out of the car, but it is necessary to look at the entire system, from the production of fuel or electricity to the use of the vehicle.
This study is based on well-to-wheel analysis. In this, total emissions from preparation of fuel or electricity to driving are taken into account. Let’s understand what this comparison reveals regarding CNG and EV.
Driving an EV doesn’t produce smoke, but where does the electricity come from?
The biggest feature of an electric car is that it does not emit exhaust fumes while driving. But the bulk of electricity needed to charge EVs still comes from coal-fired power plants.
India’s electricity grid is not yet fully dependent on renewable energy. In such a situation, carbon emissions also occur when generating electricity to charge electric cars. Therefore, the total environmental impact of an EV cannot be assessed solely by its emissions while on the road.
That is why the total life cycle emissions of EVs may be higher than expected considering the current power system.
Why was CNG ahead in this comparison?
TERI’s study did not focus only on pollution caused by driving cars. It also looked at the amount of pollution caused while making CNG, transporting it in the car and then using it in the car. Similarly, the electricity used to charge the EV was also calculated.
CNG is also a fossil fuel like petrol and diesel, but it is less polluting than petrol and diesel. When the entire journey of CNG i.e. from production to driving the car was calculated and compared to EV, CNG has been found to have less impact on the environment so far.
EV batteries are also a big challenge
Electric cars have large batteries, the production of which also affects the environment. Materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel are required to make these batteries. It takes a lot of electricity and energy to dig them out of the ground and make batteries.
Apart from this, when the EV battery is old, it is not easy to throw it away. It is important to recycle old batteries properly, so that they do not harm the environment. In the future, when the number of electric cars increases, handling old batteries can also become a big challenge. CNG vehicles do not have large batteries like EVs, so challenges related to battery manufacturing, recycling and disposal do not arise here.
Does this mean EVs are bad for the environment?
This does not mean that electric cars are bad for the environment. The fact is that where the electricity is coming from to charge an EV has an impact on the environment as well. At present, the bulk of electricity in India is generated from coal. If the use of solar power, wind power and other clean energy sources to generate electricity increases in the future, the total pollution caused by EVs may also decrease.
That is, how green an EV is depends not only on the car, but also on the electricity used to charge it. CNG currently has the advantage in this regard, but EVs could be a better option for the environment if India’s clean energy generation takes off. In this sense, CNG and CNG-hybrid technologies can be seen as an interim option when moving towards electric mobility.
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