Post by jorinaparvin147 on Feb 25, 2024 1:31:08 GMT -5
A team led by researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands is analyzing emissions from electric vehicles compared to gasoline vehicles to find out whether driving an electric car can actually produce lower overall emissions. Electric cars are intended to help mitigate the climate impacts of the transportation sector, which is responsible for approximately 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions . But since electric vehicles, in most cases, run on an energy grid that still relies to some extent on fossil fuels, there are concerns that they may not actually deliver the expected climate benefits. But new research shows that those concerns are unjustified in almost all parts of the world. A team led by researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands analyzed emissions from electric vehicles compared to gasoline vehicles and found that driving an electric car produces lower total emissions in about 95% of the world. In countries like Sweden and France, where electricity is mainly generated through nuclear and renewable energy sources, average lifetime emissions from electric cars are up to 70% lower than gasoline-powered cars. The researchers found that only in a few places where electricity generation still relies heavily on coal, such as Poland, do electric cars confer no climate benefits.
Researchers also examined home heat pumps and determined that they produce lower emissions than fossil fuel-powered alternatives in 95% of the world. The results of the study are detailed in an article published in the Job Function Email List journal Nature Sustainability this week. The idea that electric vehicles or electric heat pumps could increase emissions is essentially a myth. Here's a definitive study that can dispel those myths. We've run the numbers from around the world, analyzing a whole range of cars and heating systems. Even in the worst case scenario, there would be a reduction in emissions in almost all cases. This idea should be very useful for policy makers. Florian Knobloch researcher, Radboud University. Taking into account differences in fuel types and technologies used for electricity generation, Knobloch and his team divided the world into 59 regions, then calculated the greenhouse gas emissions generated in each region not only when cars are used. and heating systems, but also throughout the entire production and waste processing process.
They found that electric cars and heat pumps are already less emissions-intensive than fossil fuel-powered alternatives in 53 of those regions, including all of Europe, the United States and China. Considering emissions from manufacturing and continued energy use, it is clear that we must encourage the switch to electric cars and home heat pumps without any regrets. Florian Knobloch researcher, Radboud University. By 2050, half of all cars on the road could be electric, according to the study. That would reduce global carbon emissions by up to 1.5 gigatonnes, the amount of CO2 emissions that the entire country of Russia is responsible for each year. Electric heat pumps could reduce global CO2 emissions by 0.8 gigatonnes per year, which is roughly equivalent to the amount of emissions Germany is responsible for annually. The researchers say their findings have already caught the attention of policymakers. We started this work a few years ago, and policy makers in the UK and abroad have shown a lot of interest in the results. The answer is clear: to reduce carbon emissions, we should choose electric cars and home heat pumps over fossil fuel alternatives.