Electric vehicles remain a highly contentious issue. The mining of limited resources required and the high amounts of water used in production are the two strongest arguments against electric vehicles. Many people forget, however, that a variety of everyday objects have just as high of a carbon footprint in their production as an electric vehicle battery. Maximilian Fichtner from the Helmholtz Institute for Electric Energy Storage highlights a striking comparison:

To obtain the lithium needed to produce a battery with an output of 64 kW/h, 3,840 liters of water have to be evaporated. This is the same amount of water required to grow just ten avocados, enough coffee-beans for 30 cups of coffee or to produce 250 grams of beef.

As for the most-contentious limited resource needed for vehicle batteries – cobalt – there is already evidence of increased awareness about this substance amongst producers. For example, cobalt-free models are currently under development. This year, the first lithium-ion battery without cobalt was presented by the Chinese manufacturer SVOLT at the IAA (international car fair in Frankfurt, Germany).

Many critics also fail to consider that combustion engines run on fossil fuels, which are also limited resources.

The question of the most environmentally-friendly way of life cannot yet be definitively answered. It is therefore always worth examining the bigger picture and consciously taking responsibility – whether through reduced consumption of avocados or through responsible mobility choices.

Source: Der Tagesspiegel, 2.12.2019