Life-cycle Based Environmental Effects of 1.3 Mio. Electric Vehicles on the Road in 35 Countries - Facts & Figures from the IEA Technology Collaboration Program on Hybrid & Electric Vehicles

Abstract

There is an international consensus that the environmental effect of electric vehicles can only be assessed with life cycle assessment (LCA) including production, operation and end of life treatment. A group of international experts working since 2011 on the LCA of Electric Vehicles in the Technical Collaboration Program on “Hybrid and Electric Vehicles of the International Energy Agency (IEA), estimated the environmental effects of the current worldwide electric vehicle fleet of about 1.3 million in 35 countries. The environmental effects assessed for electric vehicles are greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, ozone formation, particle matter emissions and primary energy consumption, which were compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.