I) What this Green (ecological) Car Table mean?
The most serious car makers have different approach to the reduction of toxic emissions:
- Improve engine efficiency and fuel combustion with better manufacturing quality (eg. Mazda Skyactive-G engine).
- Assist a petrol or diesel engine with a self-recharging battery. These are hybrid cars. (eg. Toyota Auris)
- Alternate from petrol to electricity using a battery to charge plug-in from the grid. These are plug-in hybrid cars (eg. Toyota Prius or Volvo V60).
- Full electric charge from the grid (eg. Nissan Leaf).
Nox is the exhaust gaz responsible for toxic fog in big cities. It is mainly due to incomplete fuel combustion. Watch this TED-Ed explanation The smog phenomena: https://youtu.be/CdbBwIgq4rs
CO2 emissions are not only to be measured from the tailpipe but also from the power plant if the car uses plug-in electricity. There are major differences per countries depending of the source of energy. Countries like France rely on nuclear power that doesn’t emit C02 but it transfers the risk to an industrial catastrophe. You can read here the electricity emissions per country: http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/electric-car-emissions
Some car makers may use aluminium to build the car body. It makes the car lighter so it consumes less fuel on the road. But producing aluminium requires 20 times more oil than the production of steel. Making an aluminium car is worth 2or 3 years of fuel consumption on the road. So when comparing cars the figures need to be reassessed.
A choice has been made making this table which is to use figures of real world driving made by independent groups of scientists.
The green columns show total emissions (manufacture + use) in CO2 equivalent. Electricity can be produced more or less ecologically (fossil or renewable). If electricity is produced by renewables, electric is more virtuous, especially for small steel cars. If the energy is produced by fossil fuels, a small gasoline car with a steel body may be better. Electric or gasoline, the advantage goes to compact cars that you keep for at least 100,000 km.
II) Open science meets car industry
Don’t forget that the revelation of the Volkswagen scandal, i.e. that it had rigged the pollution measurements of its vehicles, has a been the result of Open Science which means university researchers have measured and shared their work. It was previously made by car makers only. Open scientists share their techniques and findings online. This new phenomenon has surprised Volkswagen but also others like Fiat or Renault. They cannot alter the figures as much as they wish anymore.
If you want to know more, please consult these articles:
– This is the testing rig that caught Volkswagen riding dirty – The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/23/9387613/volkswagen-emissions-test-photo-scandal
– Researchers Who Exposed VW Gain Little Reward From Success – NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/25/business/vw-wvu-diesel-volkswagen-west-virginia.html
– Exhaust particles of modern gasoline vehicles: A laboratory and an on-road study – Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231014006190
III) Don’t let governments shame you into thinking individuals are the only ones to blame.
Although looking for the cleanest car is an important goal, transportation only accounts for 14% percent of the emissions of toxic gazes. To put this data into perspective , compare this figure to agriculture industry and house heating systems which represent 49% of the emissions altogether. The datas are available on this document:
– Emissions per economic sector – EPA: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data
Let’s draw a parallel with antibiotics. People should indeed use antibiotics reasonably but the 50% of the worldwide production is administered to cattle. (http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/93/4/15-030415.pdf) and 70% in the US (http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2016/12/antibiotics-and-animal-agriculture-a-primer).
Please, feel free to consult my former post called Pill Umbrella for more information: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-pill-umbrella-drug-research-went-from-the/
It’s important to refocus on what pollutes most: the manufacture of consumer goods, building construction and intensive livestock farming.
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster – The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need – Bill Gates
IV) Social leasing is a disguised subsidy for manufacturers
When the government offers an electric car at €100 a month, public money pays the difference with the selling price to the manufacturers, who can raise the price as much as they like, because the end customer will always pay the same amount. Under the guise of helping the population, it’s tax money that goes straight into the pockets of the sellers.
V) Protectionism isn’t always virtuous
The French government is imposing a surtax on electric cars produced in China. This follows the huge success of MG, which offers affordable models with battery technologies that are less polluting and more resistant to cold. TThis protectionist measure means that European manufacturers don’t have to innovate and continue to sell expensive vehicles that can catch fire when it’s cold, and that mine in ecologically deplorable conditions to extract lithium on land or under the sea.
Lithium-ion battery fires are a growing public safety concern − here’s how to reduce the risk: https://theconversation.com/lithium-ion-battery-fires-are-a-growing-public-safety-concern-heres-how-to-reduce-the-risk-209359
What’s more, these cars have settings that pollute: for example, the air-conditioning comes on when there’s nobody in the Tesla, automatically because Elon Musk has decided so.
Il vaudrait mieux se concentrer sur les voitures électriques utilisant du sel ou de l’hydrogène.
VI) Pollution from tires
On average, tires produce 1850 times more particles than exhaust pipes. With today’s lithium-powered electric car technology, with a range of around 500 km, vehicles need a large battery, which makes them heavier. Particle emissions from tires are linked to weight. This tire-related pollution is more significant than exhaust pollution. This particulate pollution increases the risk of cancer and acts as an endocrine disrupter for wildlife. 87% of the Mediterranean is polluted with micro-plastics.
Car tyres produce vastly more particle pollution than exhausts, tests show – The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/03/car-tyres-produce-more-particle-pollution-than-exhausts-tests-show
Do electric vehicles produce more tyre and brake pollution than their petrol and diesel equivalents? – RAC: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/electric-cars/running/do-electric-vehicles-produce-more-tyre-and-brake-pollution-than-petrol-and/
VII) If you want to check the figures of the table, here they are:
– Dutch CO2 factor for road vehicles: https://www.emissieregistratie.nl/erpubliek/documenten/Lucht%20(Air)/Verkeer%20en%20Vervoer%20(Transport)/Wegverkeer/TNO%20(2016)%20Dutch%20CO2%20emission%20factors%20for%20road%20vehicles.pdf
– Road Tested Nox and Co2 emissions: https://www.theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/ICCT_RoadTested_201709.pdf
TRUE – The Real Urban Emissions Initiative – The Real Urban Emissions
http://www.trueinitiative.org/
Test achat Belgique sur le Dieselgate à télécharger: https://www.test-achats.be/auto-velo/autos/dossier/dieselgate-faites-vous-partie-des-gens-trompes/telecharger?ressourceUri=F3D9F3DFD8B55DCFD01E8D383C55963C0BDACB40
– Emissions Analytics is the unrivalled expert in the use of Portable Emissions
Measurements Systems (PEMS) and the interpretation and analysis of real-world data: http://emissionsanalytics.com
– Emission analytics calculator: http://www.nextgreencar.com/tools/emissions-calculator/
– Emissions related to steel and aluminium car bodies: https://www.oecd.org/env/cc/2483490.pdf
V) Law dealing with big cheaters
Diesel emissions scandal: VW fined €1bn by German prosecutors – BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44474781#
Electric cars grab almost half of sales in oil-producing Norway – Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-electric-norway/electric-cars-grab-almost-half-of-sales-in-oil-producing-norway-idUSKCN1TW2WO
La Tesla Model 3 obtient la note maximale au test européen de sécurité des passagers – Phonandroid : https://www.phonandroid.com/tesla-model-3-obtient-note-maximale-test-europeen-securite-passagers.html
TESLA Model 3 vs BMW M3 Track Battle | Top Gear: https://youtu.be/DSRWKxytW40
Arnold Goes Undercover as a Used Car Salesman to Prank Customers: https://youtu.be/UGrE_l3OzRY?si=N6aPBv35_ecRzl-q
Deep-Sea Mining – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): https://youtu.be/qW7CGTK-1vA?si=7wHLB_cxPz4nx3jb
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
