Many drivers still believe that the most environmentally conscious choice is to keep an old liquid-fuelled car running until it falls apart. Think of the resources needed to make a whole new vehicle, the argument goes. New research casts doubt on this line of thinking.
This was surprising to me. I definitely thought that the “embodied emissions” were a good reason to keep using my ICE vehicle. But it looks like this is specific to Germany’s grid which is doing much better at making emission free electricity than my local power grid in Missouri. So switching to electric may still not be appropriate when I could probably keep my small ICE car going for another 5 years.
I wish they had a calculator with models of ICE cars, models of EVs, and locations that could help you determine when the best switch over point is.
You could do a quick comparison with the kgCO2e/kWh of each grid. I believe Germany recently transitioned to natural gas from nuclear, so they probably have higher grid emissions than you’d expect.
This was surprising to me. I definitely thought that the “embodied emissions” were a good reason to keep using my ICE vehicle. But it looks like this is specific to Germany’s grid which is doing much better at making emission free electricity than my local power grid in Missouri. So switching to electric may still not be appropriate when I could probably keep my small ICE car going for another 5 years.
I wish they had a calculator with models of ICE cars, models of EVs, and locations that could help you determine when the best switch over point is.
You could do a quick comparison with the kgCO2e/kWh of each grid. I believe Germany recently transitioned to natural gas from nuclear, so they probably have higher grid emissions than you’d expect.
Probably a majority of emissions from natural gas are unintentional and unrecorded, related to leaks in the extraction process and supply chain.