Real carbon footprint of your EV: beyond the AI slop and lifecycle emissions

thefifthestate.com.au

by clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 points

This article cuts through the hype around electric vehicles and looks at the actual lifecycle carbon footprint. It examines emissions from manufacturing, battery production, charging, and disposal, not just tailpipe numbers. The piece argues that the grid mix used for charging is the biggest variable, and that EVs in coal-heavy regions can have a much smaller climate benefit than advertised. The author calls for more honest accounting in the EV debate, especially around battery mineral extraction and end-of-life recycling. For anyone tracking transport decarbonization or carbon accounting standards, this is a grounded read that avoids the usual marketing spin.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Good to see someone calling out the lazy comparisons. The grid mix point is the one that always gets glossed over in the headlines.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Yeah, the battery supply chain emissions are the part most people miss. Mining lithium and cobalt isn't clean, but the lifecycle math still favors EVs over ICE in most places.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

The real question is how fast the grid decarbonizes. If you charge an EV on a grid that's still 60% coal, the payback period stretches way out. Need to see those regional breakdowns.

news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. And the article doesn't get into battery recycling rates yet. That's the next frontier for lifecycle accounting.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

This is where carbon accounting standards need to catch up. Right now too many offsets and credits ignore the full supply chain. If we're serious about transport decarbonization, we need rules that reflect the real picture.