As Green As The Grid: The Biggest Myth About Electric Cars
A frequent argument against electric vehicles (EVs) is that they are only "as green as the grid" - meaning if your electricity comes from coal, an EV is no better than a petrol car. But this isn't true. (We unpacked the bigger energy mix confusion in our previous blog: Behind the Numbers: Why 99% Renewable Electricity Doesn’t Mean 99% Clean Energy.) Even on the dirtiest grids, EVs come out ahead for one simple reason: efficiency. A petrol engine wastes most of its fuel as heat, while an EV converts over 85% of its energy into motion. This makes EVs about 4.4 times more efficient than comparable gasoline vehicles.
This efficiency advantage leads directly to dramatically lower emissions over the entire life cycle of the car (from manufacturing to disposal). A landmark study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found that EVs in Europe emit up to 69% less greenhouse gas than petrol cars. Even accounting for the higher upfront footprint from battery manufacturing, most EVs "pay back" their initial carbon debt within 1–2 years of driving. Simply put, for every 100 units of CO₂ a petrol car creates over its life, an EV creates only about 30.
Beyond emissions, EVs offer practical wins like significantly lower running and maintenance costs. Crucially, an EV's environmental impact improves every year as the grid adds more renewables - a benefit that a petrol car can never have. However, the hurdles are real. Mining for battery minerals raises significant ethical and ecological concerns, and electricity grids require upgrades and smart charging solutions to handle the increased load.
So, are EVs perfect? No. But it's about being better, not perfect. The evidence is clear:
Efficiency is the deciding factor: They are up to 4 times more efficient than petrol cars.
Lower lifetime emissions are proven: EVs produce up to 73% fewer emissions, even including manufacturing.
They get cleaner over time: As grids decarbonize, so do the EVs that use them.
They offer practical wins: EVs are significantly cheaper to run and maintain.
While real challenges remain, they don’t change the fundamental math. EVs represent a proven and fundamental improvement over the internal combustion engine.
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Watch our explainer clip: here
