Transport is the UK's largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 24% of total emissions in 2020.
The shift towards electric vehicles is seen as a significant step in the right direction, but many have concerns over the sustainability of EV production, the generation of electricity and what happens to EVs when they're no longer road worthy. So, how sustainable are EVs?
Production
One key aspect of the sustainability of electric cars lies their manufacturing and production. Many manufacturers have been working to achieve sustainable production of vehicles by implementing strategies to minimise waste, lower energy consumption, encourage green design, ensure safe working conditions, and harmonise environmental, social, and economic aspects.
Factories, Facilities and Production Lines
Most maunfacturers are aiming for net zero before 2050. How this is acheived, is different for each manufacturer. Many are increasingly using renewable energy sources to power their factories and production lines.
Earlier this month (12 Arpril 2024) Volvo Cars Taizhou manufacturing plant made the switch to biogas. This switch will reduce more than 7,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, helping the plant ot achieve climate neutral status.
Another example is Tesla. Every Tesla factory is designed from the ground up to run on renewable energy. From highly efficient, low emissivity windows to solar panels and leveraging AI to make energy use more efficient Tesla factories are designed to limit waste, water usage and energy consumption.
Materials
Manufacturers increasingly use sustainable materials in their body work, interiors and batteries for new vehicles. From utilising recycled aluminium, to creating fabrics from plant fibres, manufacturers such as BMW are working towards a 'Circular Economy' in which future vehicles are made using 100% recycled materials.
Interiors
Manufacturers and their partners are creating new materials and reusing waste from other industries resulting in interiors which are considered more sustainable than traditonally used fabrics such as animal leather, PVC and Plastic.
- Volvo’s Nordico material -is a new interior material that consists of textiles made from recycled material such as PET bottles, bio-attributed material from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland, and corks recycled from the wine industry
- BMW is working Mexican company Adriano di Marti, which produces cactus-based materials for the automotive industry: DeserttexTM. Saving water and CO2, this fabric the potential to mimic all the traditional properties of leather and is completely recyclable.
- Lotus are using fashion industry off-cuts to create luxuriously sustainable upcycled fabrics in their Emeya EV.
Body work
While sourcing sustainable materials for interiors is gaining momentum, manufacturers are also utilising recycled materials in their body work and part constructions.
- Various parts in Polestar 4, including the body, subframe, brake components, and seats, incorporate recycled steel from post-consumer and post-industrial waste.
- Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) - recover and reform aluminium from used vehicles to be utilised in new models. In 2014, Jaguar XE was the first vehicle in the world to use aluminium alloy grade RC5754 for its body panels, which contains up to 75 per cent recycled aluminium.
Batteries
An electric vehicle battery comprises multiple rechargeable lithium-ion cells that collaborate to drive the electric motor. The debate on electric vehicle sustainability often focuses on the battery components.
These batteries include essential raw materials like lithium, nickel, and cobalt, raising concerns regarding the social and environmental impacts of mining.
Ensuring transparency and sustainability in battery and electric motor materials poses challenges, a common concern across various manufactured goods such as smartphones and laptops.
The UK is part of international efforts to secure a transparent, sustainable, and ethical raw material supply, safeguarding miners' lives and livelihoods. Internationally Governments fund programs to test raw material recycling in batteries and localise more of the battery supply chain. From 2026/27, the European Union will enforce digital passports for batteries, containing detailed records on the battery's supply chain, material origins, recycled component percentage, carbon dioxide emissions, and human rights protections.
Similarly, Electric vehicle manufacturers also work to prioritise transparency, supply chain security, and reducing the use of materials like cobalt and rare earths in their designs. Companies invest in research and development to improve material sourcing efficiency and eco-friendliness. Recycling initiatives decrease the need for new raw materials, with Volkswagen pioneering new recycling methods to reuse raw materials in new car batteries.
Charging
Charging is another hot topic when it comes to EV sustainability. While it is true that electricity generation is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels in many parts of the world, the shift towards renewable energy sources is steadily increasing. Sustainable EV charging solutions are being developed to align with this shift, aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of electric vehicles even further.
Innovations such as solar-powered charging stations, energy storage systems, and smart grid technologies are paving the way for a more environmentally friendly approach to EV charging.
There are already suppliers that utilise renewable energy to provide electricity across the UK. Our partners, Pod Point, provide the opportunity to all customers to switch to switch their residential energy tariff onto one of the EDF Energy GoElectric zero-carbon tariffs. All the GoElectric tariffs provide 100% renewable electricity and are available either as a single rate tariff or two different off-peak tariffs.
By leveraging these advancements, EV owners can charge their vehicles with clean energy, minimising their impact on the environment.
End of Life
Recycling
The regulations concerning end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in the UK focus on reducing the environmental impact of vehicle disposal through promoting the recovery, reuse, and recycling of materials.
ELVs undergo a systematic disassembly process where components are recycled, reused, or resold. The remaining shell is crushed or shredded, and the material is sent to metal recycling facilities. Metals like steel and aluminium are melted down and utilised in various industries. Plastics and rubber are also recycled or repurposed.
Manufacturers are continuously integrating recycled materials into their new vehicles. For instance, JLR is recognised for using recycled aluminium in car bodies and featuring floor mats and trims made with ECONYL® fibre from recycled industrial plastic, fabric offcuts from clothing manufacturers and fishing nets.
The BMW I-vision is a concept car designed to use 100% recycled materials and ensure future recyclability. Whilst this concept looks ahead to 2040, its clear there is commitment to sustainability within the automotive industry.
Batteries
Most electric vehicle batteries have warranties of around 8 years (or 100,000 miles), but are expected to last much longer. However similar to a mobile phone the continuous process of discharging and recharging eventually leads to a decrease in its capacity over time. This raises the question: what happens to used EV batteries?
These electric vehicle batteries can be repurposed for powering homes or commercial buildings, as well as for energy storage in the electricity grid. Valuable materials like nickel, copper and lithium can also be recycled from the batteries.
Some manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, are experimenting with new recycling methods resulting in raw materials being recycled and used to create new car batteries, promoting a circular economy.
The government has committed £318 million into the Faraday Battery Challenge to support the research, development and scale-up of world-leading battery technology right here in the UK, including pioneering work on improving battery lifespan.
Lease Electric
At Lease Electric, every vehicle lease involves investments in Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Gold Standard carbon reduction projects to offset the manufacturer's carbon impact. Through Ecologi, each car or van lease results in the planting of 100 trees in the Lease Electric Forest. These trees individually eliminate approximately 0.3083 tonnes of CO2e over a 25-year span, totalling around 30 tonnes of CO2 removed from the atmosphere.
To date, our efforts have prevented the emission of 3,996.78 tCO2e, equivalent to driving 9,116,011 miles by car.
Find out more about our Climate Positive Leasing Service.