Driving Green: the Real Cost of Electric Vehicles

Original photo can be found here.

Imagine: you are a hip, wealthy citizen of the US in the year 1900, and you flaunt your fiscal superiority by cruising in a motorized vehicle rather than slum it in a horse-drawn carriage, or worse, by walking. You have a few options: gas, steam, or electric powered. Gas-powered vehicles are loud, difficult to drive, and stink up the air. Steam vehicles are an attractive idea, but the hour-long start up times and limited range make them unappealing. Electric cars are smoother, quieter, and easy to handle. 

You go for the electric car, and you're the talk of the town. However, problems arise: there aren’t enough reliable electricity sources — it is 1900 after all — and the batteries are unpredictable. Meanwhile, gas-run vehicles are becoming more operator-friendly, and Texas discovers the joys and wealth of crude oil. Car and gas prices drop, and now, gas-run vehicles are more affordable and appealing. Electric vehicles are left in the dust.

Fast forward to the 21st century and we are in crisis. There are gas shortages, the world is warming too fast, and we need solutions. Electric vehicles have been repopularized and are deemed the gold standard for private transportation. And why not? Electric vehicles emit zero tailpipe emissions, compared to the average 4.6 metric tons of CO2 emitted by the average single-passenger vehicle per year, as noted by the EPA. Significantly fewer fossil fuels are used to fuel these vehicles, and they are considerably less expensive to maintain than gas-powered cars. This is largely due to fewer and less complicated parts, cheaper repairs; and not paying for gas is a bonus. 

Currently, electric vehicles are more expensive, but the price of the batteries are falling at a rate where soon, BNE Finance expects an electric sedan could be less expensive than a comparable gas sedan. This is a huge step in the right direction. However, there are some glaring negative externalities to the electric vehicle market that are often overlooked, primarily rooted in the lithium-ion batteries running these cars. 

Lithium and cobalt are two precious materials essential to the battery function, but are rife with human rights scandals. About 70% of the world’s cobalt supply in 2019 came from Congo, which the USGS estimates to have over half of the world’s cobalt stores. Due to high demand, cobalt mining is extremely profitable, and a large percentage of the population works in these mines, including children. 

The people that work in the mines risk their life every day. As pictured below, many are forced to mine in unstable tunnels with simple hand tools and no protective equipment. Meanwhile, they inhale toxic fumes, which cause severe health problems. The products of the mines pollute and decimate the local freshwater supply. Collapses are not uncommon, resulting in death and severe injury. Miners are paid abysmally — $1-3 a day — to live in a country that has a cost of living about 42% higher  than that of the US, as observed by the Institute of Applied Ecology.

The story is not so different with lithium. Harvard International Review notes that about 75% of the world’s lithium is found in the salt flats in an area known as the Lithium Triangle, found in the Andes region of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. The mining process of lithium is extremely water dependent and consumes up to two-thirds of the local freshwater supply, causing famine and drought.

Certainly, lithium is not without its benefits. A rare material, lithium has provided the most sustainable outputs when it comes to battery options. Compared to lead batteries, lithium batteries can be recharged more, last longer, have higher energy density, and are more stable. Already, there have been some improvements in the longevity and composition of lithium-ion batteries, namely by Tesla, a proven leader in the electric vehicle industry.

The US government must incentivize companies to invest in the proper recycling of these batteries through subsidies. Increased recycling of lithium-ion battery materials will drastically decrease the need for raw material, theoretically driving down the costs of materials as demand decreases. These subsidies can be paid for by the funds collected by severe fines on companies who source materials from uncertified mines.

Electric vehicles relieve the environmental burden of tailpipe emissions, but the burden is displaced to other points of concern. From the point of creation, there are severe ethical consequences that come with the mining of raw materials for these batteries, as well as pollution of the surrounding communities. Additionally, not all electricity sources are clean, so charging an EV may just shift the burden from gasoline fueling the car to coal. Not to mention, the nationwide adoption of EVs would overwhelm the current power grid and unless there are drastic changes to the infrastructure. 

These are all concerns that must be addressed, but this is not a call to halt EV production. Alternatively, this is a call to wake up to reality, and to make the necessary changes to create a truly sustainable future for all. EVs have an amazing potential to do so much good for sustainable transportation, and this is just the beginning. 

However, this doesn’t mean that everyone should be going out and getting EVs, especially in cities and condensed areas. Public transit is far more sustainable than private vehicles on many levels. Fewer private vehicles means less space needed to park said vehicles. This street space can be transformed into bike lanes, wider sidewalks, stormwater gardens, or greenspace. The possibilities are endless! Out with the asphalt deserts we call parking lots, and in with green infrastructure that improves the health and happiness of our communities. 

In addition to reducing parking needs, public transportation improves traffic congestion, thus cutting down commute times for everyone. Gas-powered buses improve fuel efficiency and air pollution when used instead of private vehicles. Replacing pre-existing fleets with electric buses would combine the benefits of public transportation and electric vehicles into one nice package, without overwhelming the power grid. The picture to the right is of one of the two electric-powered buses that runs for CATMA today.

Furthermore, not everyone has access to public transportation, such as people living in rural, less dense areas. In those cases, private transportation is vital, and EVs are a great alternative to the traditional combustion vehicles that claim the streets now. As previously stated, EV prices are decreasing and are expected to be an affordable alternative, expanding their accessibility.

On a larger scale, semi-trucks are used to haul shipments all over the country. These heavy vehicles, with their even heavier loads, use exorbitant quantities of fuel for these journeys. Switching to electric-powered trucks could have a significant impact on the emissions going into the atmosphere, as well as saving thousands of gallons of gas each year. 

Electric vehicles, if used correctly, will have a drastic impact on the environment and our lives. Infrastructure will be reformed to focus on our communities, not on making movement easier in cars. The air will be cleaner, the streets safer, and the people healthier. To truly make sustainable changes in our systems, there needs to be systemic attention to policies that promote equity for all.