Does using electricity to charge an EV outweigh the environmental benefits?
EVs are powered by an electric battery so, unlike petrol or diesel vehicles, they don't produce any tailpipe emissions.
WA's electricity generation mix fluctuates daily. In 2021, 15.4 per cent of WA's electricity was generated by renewables, with the remaining generation made up of natural gas (57.2 per cent), coal (21.8 per cent), and oil (5.6 per cent).
Recent European research indicates that EVs outperform diesel and petrol passenger vehicles, across all electricity generation makeups; and even on heavily carbon intensive grids. EVs charged by the average European electricity profile ‘repay their “carbon debt”’ after a year and can save over 30 tonnes of CO2 across their lifetime when compared to an equivalent non-electric vehicle. Taxis, on-demand ride share and shared vehicles – vehicles that travel significantly greater distances – can save up to 85 tonnes over their lifetime.
