Energy matrix of countries reduces the ‘green effect’ of electric cars

At least 16 million electric cars are already in circulation around the world, of which more than 6 million were sold in 2021. At the UN Global Climate Conference, COP-26, electric vehicles were chosen as one of the main actors in the process. of decarbonization, as they do not emit pollutants.

Some of them, however, cannot be considered totally “green”, because, depending on the electrical matrix of the countries where they run, the energy from their batteries comes from non-renewable sources, such as coal and natural gas, or nuclear, which is clean, but non-renewable, and meets resistance in several nations after the 2011 Fukushima radiation leak.

Even in countries with renewable sources, there are questions regarding the emissions generated in the process of generating this energy and in the production of electric cars. That is why the COP-26 agreement involved, in addition to governments, the private sector in decarbonization commitments over the next three decades.

In several regions of the world, electrification, at first, will come from fossil generation, but the tendency is for a greater insertion of renewable sources in the coming years and, depending on the signaling of each matrix, it makes sense to bet on this technology, says Diogo Lisbona, professor at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV Energia).

A study by the environmental group Transport & Environment adopted by the European Union indicates that electric cars outperform diesel and gasoline models in all scenarios, even in countries dependent on fossil energy, such as Poland.

In this example, an electric model pollutes 30% less than a combustion model, taking into account the vehicle’s life cycle.

“No matter the matrix, the electric car always surpasses the conventional one because even if it is 100% dirty, the equivalent CO2 emission in the total cycle will still be 10% lower than in the combustion one”, says Adalberto Maluf, president of the Association Brazilian Electricity Vehicle (ABVE).

Today, 60% of the energy produced in the world comes from non-renewable sources – coal and natural gas.

China, for example, has more than 60% of its energy generation from coal, but has made billion-dollar investments in wind and hydroelectric plants to reduce this dependence.

Rate

For the FGV professor, in addition to the origin of the energy, countries need to assess the period in which vehicles are charged. He cites the case of California, which has invested in solar parks, but most people charge their vehicles when they get home, at the end of the day, when solar production decreases but demand increases.

At night, he explains, this energy is recomposed by natural gas, another local source. That is, if the electric car is charged at the time of greatest solar availability, during the day, it will probably consume more renewable energy; if it is at night, the risk is of consuming more non-renewable.

Lisbona defends that distributed generation have “smart tariffs, more granular in time and space, that reflect the cost of charging the vehicle at peak hours”.

Also, the faster the charging, the greater the power required. It means that, for ultra-fast recharges, the cost should also reflect the biggest impact on the distribution network.

As most of its energy is generated from renewable sources, mainly hydroelectric power, he believes that electrification would make sense in Brazil, but the country faces other challenges, one of which is the high cost of electric cars.

The professor also points out that having ethanol leads to the question of whether the country’s route would actually be electrification with 100% electric vehicles or whether it would move towards hybrid models using sugarcane fuel.

More efficient

Flávia Spadafora, leader of KPMG’s automotive sector in Brazil, points out the difficulty of the Brazilian industry in relying on the hydroelectric matrix, which, in times of water crisis, becomes fragile.

She says, however, that if the country reaches a share of 20% to 30% of electric cars in its fleet by 2030, the impact on energy consumption would be at most 1% or 2% of what is already consumed today.

For the specialist, the country would be able to meet the demand and could make new investments, for example, in wind and solar generation. The argument that energy in Brazil is expensive must also assess the weight of the productivity of the electric car.

“The kilometer traveled with an electric car force from vis to the car, combustion is much more efficient.”