No, Electric Cars Do Not Pollute More Than Gas Cars

Every once in a while, I come across an article promoting the idea that electric cars produce more pollution than gas cars, because the the energy required to make their batteries is so great. On the surface, it might sound reasonable, but it's wrong. The latest example is an editorial in the Wall Street Journal.

The idea is demolished in this Jalopnik article, which cites several sources, including the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Let’s go to the Union of Concerned Scientists, which looked at this non-issue back in 2015, and found that the whole “batteries produce more carbon dioxide to manufacture” argument goes straight out the window and down into the pit of hell itself as soon as you drive anywhere (emphasis mine):

A full-size long-range (265 miles per charge) BEV, with its larger battery, adds about six tons of emissions, which increases manufacturing emissions by 68 percent over the gasoline version. But this electric vehicle results in 53 percent lower overall emissions compared with a similar gasoline vehicle (see Figure ES-2). In other words, the extra emissions associated with electric vehicle production are rapidly negated by reduced emissions from driving. Comparing an average midsize midrange BEV with an average midsize gasoline-powered car, it takes just 4,900 miles of driving to “pay back”—i.e., offset—the extra global warming emissions from producing the BEV. Similarly, it takes 19,000 miles with the full-size long-range BEV compared with a similar gasoline car. Based on typical usages of these vehicles, this amounts to about six months’ driving for the midsize midrange BEV and 16 months for the full-size long-range BEV.

The Wall Street Journal should know better, but they probably get too much revenue from their corporate sponsors.