How eco-friendly are cars? A holistic view

Conclusion
In the area of road traffic, electric vehicles cannot be the only strategy for 
achieving the climate and environmental protection goals. A sustainable mobility 
turnaround will only be successful if the focus is also on avoiding car travel 
and shifting to other modes of transport. This also corresponds to the vision of 
a liveable city with an attractive public transport network, more pedestrians, 
more cyclists and short distances between work, home and shops and services. 
Nevertheless, it is likely that motorized vehicles will continue to be used for a 
significant proportion of journeys in the future.
It is therefore important to lessen the impact of car traffic on the climate and the 
environment. Electric cars can make an increasingly significant contribution to 
reaching this goal. This applies above all to climate protection – an area in which 
electric cars already have a clear lead. This lead will continue to grow as the share 
of renewable energies in electricity generation continues to increase. It is highly 
likely that today’s newly registered vehicles will still be on the roads in 2030 and 
that at least 65 percent of electricity will then come from renewable sources.

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How eco-friendly are electric cars?
The picture is more differentiated for the other environmental impacts. More 
raw materials are used for electric cars than for conventional vehicles and 
more particulate matter is emitted over the entire life cycle as well. In terms 
of nitrogen oxide emissions, diesel vehicles in particular are now in a better 
position, because vehicles registered from 2020 onwards generally adhere to the 
legal limit values even during real life driving. Nevertheless, the actual health 
impact also depends on where the emissions are generated. So it matters “what 
comes out directly at the exhaust”. In this respect, electric vehicles continue to 
have an advantage in polluted urban environments because they are locally 
emission-free.
All in all, then, the overall assessment depends on how the various factors are 
weighted and balanced, and on the timescales used. Should climate protection 
be weighted more heavily than the use of raw materials? How should the local 
protection of human health be valued, as opposed to emissions outside of city 
centres? And what climate-friendly alternatives actually exist – if we want the car 
to be part of our future?

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How eco-friendly are electric cars?
Picture credits
Cover page: ©Tomwang112/iStock
Page 4: © Michael Flippo/Fotolia
Page 6: © Miredi/Fotolia
Page 10: © Matthias Buehner/Fotolia 
Page 12: © a-wrangler/iStock
Page 15: © Tom Bayer/Fotolia 
Page 18: © Stephen/AdobeStock 
Page 19: © salim138/Fotolia
Page 21: © Vincent/AdobeStock

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How eco-friendly are electric cars?
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