Life Cycle Emissions of Electric Vehicles in North America: Temporal Dynamics and Policy Assessment

Abstract

Electrification of transport is often considered one of the key steps along the path towards a climate-friendly future. Consequently, many countries are implementing policies encouraging this transition and investing in infrastructure such as charging stations. While electric vehicles (EVs) are considered environmentally friendly because they have no tailpipe emissions, battery production produces significant greenhouse gas emissions and the well-to-wheel emissions vary depending on the composition of the electricity grid. This study analysed whether promoting EVs is a valid policy for mitigating GHG emissions in North America, by calculating three environmental performance indicators for EVs. This study applies calculations from the literature to calculate EV life cycle emissions in Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as for the 50 states, D.C. and Québec. Additionally, this study looks at temporal aspects of how national electricity grids may change depending on current policies as well as the evolution of battery production and vehicle efficiency. The study found that EVs in Canada would have lower life-cycle emissions than in the other nations, but that overall, EVs had lower life-cycle emissions than petrol and diesel vehicles in all three nations. At the regional level, Québec had the lowest emissions for an EV while Iowa and Alaska had the highest. Emissions from EVs are expected to decrease across nations and states over the next few years. Policies should reflect the regional variation by prioritising grid decarbonisation over EV uptake in certain areas.