Electric cars will clean the air and stop climate change. There is only one condition

John Rose and Andrea Pellegrini from the University of Sydney take a closer look at the impact of electric cars on climate and air pollution. They explicitly claim that switching to electric cars could help solve many problems in today’s world, as long as we actually start using these cars on a large scale. Preservation.

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The researchers analyzed the situation using the example of Australia, which still produces energy largely from coal (32%), but can boast a huge increase in the share of renewables and energy storage in the energy mix. In their opinion, opponents of “electric fashion” do not care about all aspects, and only claim that the use of vehicles contributes to increasing the demand for electricity, and thus increasing its production from non-renewable sources.

Electricity is the panacea for everything. Australian researchers answer: It depends

Australians point out that even a slight increase in the number of electric cars on the roads is contributing to this Lower rates of asthma And Improving air quality in cities. The use of electric cars reduces carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. Moreover, the entire life cycle of an electric car, from its production to its complete recycling in terms of emissions, is only 12%. The amount of pollution produced during the life cycle of a combustion vehicle.

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The authors of the argument do not side with the optimists or opponents of electricians. The answer to many problems is: it depends. This means, for example, that the emissions intensity of the production and use of an electric vehicle depends on the country or region in which it is manufactured and where it is charged. Using the example of Australia, it was reported that an electric vehicle used in New South Wales, where energy still largely comes from coal, would generate emissions of 15.5 thousand tonnes over 16 years. Kilo carbon dioxide! In Tasmania, hydropower would result in less than 500kg of CO2 emissions₂.

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In many respects, electric cars contribute to improving air quality, and if they are powered by renewable energy sources, they will also not have a negative impact on climate change. However, we will have to wait many years to see the clear effects of these measures, until the trend towards electric cars accelerates. However, this may be difficult. And in Australia itself, despite the very pro-environmental approach and low gasoline consumption, diesel vehicles are becoming more popular. However, there are only about 181,000 electric cars, which, given more than 15 million vehicles, represents a drop in the ocean of needs.