Electric cars letting off too much steam

Just as the electric car market prepares to hit the pedal, some professors at a Norwegian university are providing evidence that those vehicles should apply the brakes. They are saying that the life-cycle production process is responsible for creating more greenhouse gas emissions than a conventional auto factory.

While the study discusses the current methods used to produce electric vehicles, it does leave room for improvements in those technologies. Therefore, its findings are not necessarily concrete and could later become less relevant. But for now, the researchers are concluding that the "global warming potential" of current electric vehicles is twice that of those in prevailing automotive markets.

The analysis, penned by academics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and presented in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, expounds by saying that the toxic materials employed to build such cars exceeds traditional ones. Furthermore, they are adding that the fuels used to create the electricity are also important considerations, noting that if is coal then it may not be worth the environmental and economic costs.

"The production phase of electric vehicles proved substantially more environmentally intensive," says the report ... "It is counterproductive to promote electric vehicles in regions where electricity is primarily produced from lignite, coal or even heavy oil combustion."

The researchers say that such toxic materials as aluminum, copper and nickel are used to make batteries and electric motors. They add that anyone contemplating the purchase of an electric vehicle should first ask about the underlying fuel that would supply the electricity. Presumably, such buyers are environmentally aware, the authors note, and should thus be concerned about increasing harmful emissions.

To that end, the study says that the potential for decreasing heat-trapping releases is greatest in Europe. That is because the present mix of electricity there is such that the power generated would come from more environmentally-friendly sources. That would, in turn, lead to a 10-24 percent decrease in the global warming potential relative to conventional diesel or gasoline vehicles. But the researchers still caution that the production process would lead to rises in toxicity levels.

Increased Emissions

Whether plug-in electric cars turn out to be an environmental bonus or hazard depends on the math: They can emit less carbon dioxide than their counterparts in the conventional world. However, after the emissions at generating stations that supply their electrical power are figured in, they are unable to sustain that advantage, says a report issued in 2009 by the National Research Council.

After 2030, however, the council says that plug-ins could account for significant reductions in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. But it adds that will only happen if electricity generation plants fired by fossil fuels are equipped with carbon capture and storage systems or replaced with renewable energy or nuclear-powered plants. If coal continues to supply the preponderance of electric generation for decades to come, it then agrees with the Norwegian researchers that the overall benefits to electric cars would be, at best, nominal.

"Relative to hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will have little impact on U.S. oil consumption before 2030, especially if fuel economy for conventional vehicles and hybrids continues to increase past 2020," says the research council.

It therefore suggests a holistic approach to reducing dependence on foreign oil as well as cutting greenhouse gas levels. That entails increasing fuel efficiency standards, improving the hybrid technologies and developing hydrogen fuel cells. Beyond that, those vehicles that run on natural gas hold tremendous potential.

Advancing those technologies requires dollars, which would be applied in part to improving battery technologies, building the necessary infrastructure and furthering the formation of alternative fuels. Some say that the government has a role here. Others retort that such matters should be left to the free market.

But in light of some of the studies showing that electric car production and the subsequent emissions may be doing more harm than good, what should be the next step? If anything, the latest Norwegian study would lend credence to more fully developing such alternative technologies, not abandoning them.

The Electric Drive Transportation Association "agrees that economies of scale and ongoing technological advances will reduce vehicle costs and consumer tax incentives can help achieve them. A strong public-private investment in the emerging electric drive industry can provide important energy security, economic and environmental benefits to the U.S."

Through those partnerships, the "clean vehicle" market will ramp up. That will allow both the manufacturing methods and the fuels used to motor those cars to mature and to expand.

EnergyBiz Insider has been awarded the Gold for Original Web Commentary presented by the American Society of Business Press Editors. The column is also the Winner of the 2011 Online Column category awarded by Media Industry News, MIN. Ken Silverstein has been named one of the Top Economics Journalists by Wall Street Economists.