As we all know, an electric car does not emit any CO2 when driving. In contrast, a car with a petrol engine produces approx. 19 kg of carbon dioxide per 100 km, while a diesel car produces approx. 16 kg. However, an important factor for the life cycle assessment of electric cars is the electricity mix used: When charging the electric car at public charging stations, a conventional energy mix is used. This currently still contains over 30 percent of electricity from coal-fired power plants in Germany. This is a form of energy production that plays a considerable role in polluting the air with CO2. The cleanest electricity comes from a domestic photovoltaic system or from an electricity provider that relies solely on renewable energy generation. If you want to drive your electric car in a truly climate-neutral manner – not including production – you should pay attention to the electricity you use and only use green electricity.
An ecological charging process for a battery primarily refers to the source of the energy required for this purpose. Energy production from fossil fuels has a poor CO2 balance compared to renewable energy production with wind, sun, water or geothermal heat. Home owners with their own photovoltaic system can also use the solar power generated in this way to charge their electric car via a wallbox. Electric cars are only really CO2-free with charging current from 100 percent renewable energies.
Battery production for electric cars in itself is already considered environmentally critical. Fully charging the battery to 100 percent also accelerates the ageing process of the batteries, which shortens their service life. From an environmental point of view, a controlled charging stop at 80 percent is therefore recommended, as this minimises the storable current capacity due to changed physical properties. Ideally, the lithium-ion batteries of an electric car should not drop below 20 percent charge level in order to maintain their capacity. Sustainable charging behaviour can thus extend the battery life and protect the environment.
E-fuels are fuels for petrol or diesel engines that are produced by a complex chemical process and the use of electricity. They are created by an ingenious combination of chemical molecules to achieve intended performance and properties while eliminating unwanted pollutant emissions. Renewable energies are used to produce synthetic fuels in an environmentally friendly manner. The advantages of e-fuels are that they can be produced in any quantity and burn relatively cleanly compared to conventional petrol and diesel.
In most cases, old batteries that are insufficient for operation of an electric car are destined for a second life. This can last ten years or more, depending on the condition and new area of use. The remaining battery capacity is sufficient, for example, to absorb wind or solar power in combination with other old batteries as stationary battery storage, stabilise the electricity grid and supply street lights with energy. Including second-life use, batteries have a total service life of up to 20 years. At the end of their life cycle, electric car batteries are recycled sensibly and professionally to ensure that the valuable raw materials they contain are not wasted and can be reused, among other things, for the production of new batteries.