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Nissan Leaf (Tumblr)
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With films like "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and its progeny "The Revenge of the Electric Car", there seems to be a re-birth in our fascination of these near-silent wonders. Perhaps they inspire us to think that we are one step closer to the infamously fabled hover car? Or maybe we have this belief that buying one severs our begrudged lifeline to the oil industry? All of this makes a fantastic recipe for creating an environment of optimistic illusion. This is where we at U Can Bee Green steps in order to comb through the hype and pessimism to present the nuggets of truth.
First and foremost, what does it cost to have an electric car vs conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles? It's electric so shouldn't there be less maintenance? Isn't the amount of electricity consumed cheaper than gas? The answer to both is YES however the inevitable battery replacement cost and depreciation due to an above average price tag results in a somewhat prohibitive annual cost of ownership.
From this chart (1)(4)(5)(6)(7)(10)(11)(13)(14) of estimated average annual costs we can see that, though the annual electricity cost is dwarfed by the ICE vehicles gasoline consumption, the electric car still has the highest annual cost. The battery replacement cost in the estimate assumed the current market value of $700 per kWh of Li battery capacity(6). When U Can Bee Green test drove the Nissan Leaf, the dealer unofficially quoted a replacement cost of $300/kWh. If that cost were used, the estimated annual cost of ownership would drop to about $9,600 (as this was anecdotal costing information, it was not incorporated into the chart above though we felt it was worth mentioning here).
Well what about the environment? Aren't electric cars zero emission vehicles? The answer virtually in all cases is NO. True that the vehicle itself does not emit green house gases (GHGs) however any power source used to charge it emits GHGs through its operation or, like solar panels, through its manufacture. For the sake of simplicity, let us assume that you are getting all of your power from the electric grid. If such is the case, assuming that you drive your vehicle 19,000 kms (12,000 miles) annually, then by unweighted average of all U.S. states and Canadian provinces, yours would be the cause for the following annual GHG emissions by vehicle type(8)(9)(12).
This looks promising however if the in the following states or provinces, your vehicle will emit more GHGs annually than a small sedan.
Alberta
Colorado
Delaware
District of Columbia
Indiana
Kansas
KentuckyMontana
New Mexico
North Dakota
Nova Scotia
Ohio
Utah
West Virginia
Wyoming
... so it really depends where you live.
A recent survey by California Center for Sustainability(3) highlighted that 95% of electric car owners have a conventional ICE vehicle. For those planning on having a second vehicle in an area whose electric grid is not massively dependant on coal, buying an electric car makes good sense from an environmental standpoint. However, it you did not plan on having a second vehicle and are buying electric and keeping your ICE vehicle hoping to reduce your footprint, think again. The GHGs emitted from the manufacture, recycling and disposal of any 4-wheeled vehicle is a significant proportion of its total lifecycle(2). Now think about the winter; for those early adopters living in colder climates, battery capacity quickly becomes an issue through the bitter chill of February where it is expected to reduce by at least 1/4. With the heat and rear defroster on, the mileage will further be impacted.
There are a few silver linings however. On the cost side, there is currently a downward trend in the cost of Li batteries which should in turn reduce the initial price tag as well as the cost of replacement. Many analysts believe that electric cars will be competing at a price point level with ICE vehicles before 2020. In terms of the environment, operating an electric car in most states and provinces will result in a reduction of GHG emissions. At the bottom of this post is a list of states and provinces with estimated annual GHG emissions based on data from eGRID(8) and Environment Canada(9).
Overall electric cars do appear to be a greener option, depending on location. Costs are coming down, appealing more and more to the middle-class market. We hope that this article has helped to remove your rose coloured glasses when looking at electric cars so that you might see them for what they are. A somewhat more expensive, quieter and more eco-friendly version of their gas/diesel powered cousins.
... next month we look at water consumption in the home and for all those holiday travellers, in December we will be looking at private sector mass transit (buses, trains and planes).
Sources
(2) Berners-Lee, M.; Clark, D.(September 23, 2012). What's the Carbon Footprint of ... A New Car? The Guardian. Retrieved September 30th, 2012 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/sep/23/carbon-footprint-new-car
(3) California Center for Sustainable Energy (2012). California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Owner Survey. Retrieved September 5th, 2012 from http://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project/vehicle-owner-survey
(4) Canadian Automobile Association (2011). Driving Costs Beyond the Price Tag: Understanding Your Vehicle's Expenses. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.caa.ca/documents/CAA_Driving_Costs_Brochure_2010.pdf
(5) Canadian Automobile Association (2012). Driving Costs Beyond the Price Tag: Understanding Your Vehicle's Expenses. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.caa.ca/drivingcosts/CAA_Driving_Costs_English.pdf
(6) Chestney, N.; Baird, J. (April 17, 2012). Q1 Electric Car Battery Prices Drop 14 Percent On Year. Reuters. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/17/us-ev-battery-idUSBRE83G0EX20120417
(7) Cuenca, R.M.; Gaines, L.L.; Vyas, A.D. (1999). Evaluation of Electric Vehicle Production and Operating Costs. U.S. Department of Energy, Center for Transportation Research, Energy Systems Division. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/HV/14.pdf
(8) eGRID2012 year 2009 data files (2012). Year 2009 eGRID2012 Boiler, Generator, Plant, State, PCA, eGRD Subregion, NERC Region, U.S., and Grid Gross Loss (%) Data Files. Retrieved September 8th, 2012 from http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/egrid/index.html
(9) Environment Canada (August 9, 2012). Electricity Intensity Tables. Retrieved September 8th, 2012 from http://www.ec.gc.ca/ges-ghg/default.asp?lang=En&n=EAF0E96A-1
(10) Hydro Quebec (2011). Comparison of Electricity Prices in Major North American Cities. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.hydroquebec.com/publications/en/comparison_prices/pdf/comp_2011_en.pdf
(11) Money-Zine.com (2005). Car Depreciation Calculator. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.money-zine.com/Calculators/Auto-Loan-Calculators/Car-Depreciation-Calculator/
(12) Office of Transportation and Air Quality (December 2011.) Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle (EPA-420-F-11-041). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved September 24th, 2012 from http://www.epa.gov/oms/climate/documents/420f11041.pdf
(13) U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy provides data and information on efficiency of various vehicular models (http://fueleconomy.gov)
(14) U.S. Energy Information Administration (June 2012). Table 5.6.A. Average Retail Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State, June 2012 and 2011. Retrieved September 8th, 2012 from http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data.cfm
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