Beating A Dead Gas-Powered Horse

A couple of weeks ago, when I wrote about the electric vehicle targets in Canada, I received some feedback and some questions.

I generally thought it was well understood that electric vehicles are better for the environment.

But a lot of folk still aren’t sure.

So let’s remove some confusion by beating a dead gas-powered horse.

When you manufacture an electric vehicle today, it requires more energy and results in more CO₂ emissions upfront than a comparable internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.

Period.

Full stop.

The battery is the problem. But the battery is also the solution. Let me explain.

Energy-intensive materials, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, must be mined, refined, and assembled into something that can power a passenger vehicle.

According to MIT’s Climate Portal, building an EV can result in anywhere from 15% to 68% more emissions compared to making a gas-powered car, depending on battery size and manufacturing methods.

Vehicles like the new Hummer EV kinda suck from this perspective. While something like the Volvo EX30 is a better option in terms of its upfront carbon footprint.

That said, a peer-reviewed lifecycle analysis confirms that EVs generally outperform ICE vehicles in total emissions, even when battery production impacts are included.

Once you start driving, the EV’s environmental impact compared to ICE vehicles diverges materially.

Gas-powered cars emit CO₂ every fucking time they are driven. Every time. The carbon footprint of every ICE vehicle worsens over its lifespan.

Electric vehicles, not so much.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, EVs emit 34% to 45% fewer greenhouse gases than gas cars in most parts of the US, and that advantage increases as more clean energy is added to the grid.

Even when powered by coal-heavy grids, an EV’s total emissions per mile are generally lower.

The Environmental Protection Agency confirms that over the lifetime of a vehicle, EVs emit less CO₂ than their gasoline counterparts in every US state, even in coal-reliant states like Wyoming.

How is that possible?

Electric motors are substantially more efficient than internal combustion engines. They convert over 85 percent of the electrical energy used into mechanical energy, compared to less than 40 percent for a gas combustion engine.

The Guardian reported that when factoring in both production and use, EVs come out ahead in as little as one to two years of driving.

After that, it’s a widening gap. Over the typical lifespan of a vehicle, which ranges from 10 to 15 years, the cumulative difference is staggering.

Newer, better batteries are being developed that remove the more problematic materials, such as cobalt.

Most battery manufacturers, such as BYD and CATL, are also working on alternatives to lithium, like sodium.

And where the material being mined and refined can’t be eliminated, some mining companies are taking steps to ensure their operations are executed with net-zero principles in mind.

Fortescue, one of the world's largest mining companies, publishes an energy transition plan annually and is aggressively moving toward what they describe as “real zero”, eclipsing notions of net-zero by eliminating fossil fuel use at every step of production.

Earlier this month, Fortescue launched its “infinity train,” a purpose-built electric train powered by regenerative braking. The plan is to have this new green choo-choo transport tonnes of iron ore from Perth to the Pilbara in Australia.

Unlike gasoline, battery materials can be reused and recycled.

Sometimes, EV batteries are repurposed for Battery Energy Storage Solutions to store renewable energy for future use.

Redwood Materials plans to repurpose batteries from as many as 100,000 used electric vehicles per year in second-life battery storage applications.

Companies like Li-cycle, Glencore, Ascend Elements, and Green Li-Ion break down the batteries into their constituent elements to be refactored and developed into new batteries.

When I think about electric vehicles and the global energy transition, I consider this phrase: technology got us into this situation, so technology is going to have to get us out.

We need to continue to iterate and improve on technologies that remove carbon from the air, as well as technologies to reduce the amount of carbon we put into it.

Owning and driving one of today’s battery electric vehicles is like making a carbon investment where every kilometre you drive pays back with interest.

It’s not a debate. It’s math.

The Lynk & Co 10 EM-P plug-in hybrid sedan will launch in the Chinese market in Q3 2025, featuring 523 hp, a 192 km electric range, and an Xirallic body colour. carnewschina.com

The Chery Fulwin A9L has received 51,971 pre-orders, with an official launch scheduled for July 8, 2025. carnewschina.com

The Xiaomi YU7’s price starts at $35,364, undercutting the Tesla Model Y in China. The new Xiaomi SUV received 289,000 orders in less than an hour. autonews.com

Xiaomi’s stock price hits an all-time high, crowning CEO Lei Jun as China’s richest person. carnewschina.com

SAIC adds 37th car carrier to their car carrier fleet. cnevpost.com

CATL plans to bring its battery swap and recycling technology to Europe. cnevpost.com

BYD has slowed its production and expansion pace. The move is a sign that BYD's robust sales growth, as the world's largest EV maker, could slow, as it grapples with rising inventory even after offering deep price cuts. reuters.com

ICYMI: A Tesla Model Y just delivered itself to a customer autonomously. teslarati.com

Testing of robotaxis by Tesla in Austin, Texas, led to multiple traffic problems and driving issues, according to videos from company-selected riders. reuters.com

“Here’s a running list of all of Tesla’s robotaxi mishaps so far.” theverge.com

Tesla failed to persuade a federal judge to end a lawsuit over the death of a woman struck after an Autopilot-equipped Model S ran off the road in Key Largo, Florida, paving the way for a possible trial next month. reuters.com

A Detroit shopping center is no longer being used to store more than 200 unsold Teslas (mostly Cybertrucks). Judge Marla Parker ordered the owner of the Hunter’s Square property in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to remove the vehicles by June 25 because their storage there violated local city code. autonews.com

Tesla recently lost two key executives. theverge.com

Topgear.com assembled a list of the nine humanoid robots used by OEMs. topgear.com

Indian drone startup Raphe mPhibr has raised $100 million in an all-equity Series B round led by General Catalyst, as the startup aims to boost its R&D and local production capabilities amid growing demand for drones in battlefields and for border surveillance. techcrunch.com

Google DeepMind on Tuesday released a new language model called Gemini Robotics On-Device that can run tasks locally on robots without requiring an internet connection. techcrunch.com

Science is building robot parts that suck. arstechnica.com

Scientists propose a $117 trillion global wind-solar grid, arguing it could provide constant, clean power by connecting regions with surplus renewable energy to those in need. oilprice.com, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Alberta's oil sands are expected to reach another record production high in 2025. cbc.ca

The Province of BC and BC Hydro have announced the launch of a pilot project in Vancouver that has the potential to set new standards for supporting housing densification in Canada. constructconnect.com

Battery startup Nascent Materials emerges from stealth mode with plans to manufacture LFP batteries more efficiently and affordably. techcrunch.com

A federal district judge in Washington ordered that $5 billion in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funds be made available to states, after they had been illegally frozen in February. electrek.co

Indigenous-led solar project secures $28.6M in funding for Yukon’s largest solar farm. yukon-news.com

The Verge reports that the $612,000 plug-in hybrid Lamborghini Revuelto is “simply maniacal”. theverge.com

The Donald makes some bullshit claim about ending trade talks with Canada and threatens to institute some new bullshit tarrif rates. bloomberg.com, npr.org

Ford CEO Jim Farley is calling for a stronger US industrial base and believes that some tariffs could help companies to create jobs in what he’s labelling the “essential economy.” autonews.com

Jim Farley also recently said that he believes that Waymo’s approach to self-driving makes more sense than Tesla’s (and he’s not alone). fortune.com

The top US federal vehicle safety regulator has sent Ford an exhaustive list of questions about its hands-free driver-assistance system known as BlueCruise. techcrunch.com

Ford’s 1400hp Super Mustang Mach-E won in its class at Pike’s Peak. electrek.co

GM persuaded a federal appeals court to decertify a class action seeking to hold the automaker liable for knowingly selling about 800,000 cars, trucks and SUVs with faulty transmissions. reuters.com

Mercedes shows us what it has planned for its next performance EVs. arstechnica.com

Stellantis has a side curtain airbag problem. reuters.com

Lotus denies it plans to close its UK factory. autonews.com

Rivian has laid off around 140 employees, or roughly 1% of its workforce, as it prepares for the launch of its more affordable R2 SUV in 2026. techcrunch.com

Waymo’s robotaxis are now available on the Uber app in Atlanta. theverge.com

China signs a rare earth export deal with the US. wsj.com

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