The environmental challenges associated with the manufacture of electric vehicles do not make them less sustainable than combustion cars, according to KPMG Mexico.
And although it may seem otherwise due to the materials required to produce them, the key is to evaluate their overall environmental impact, said Alejandro Pagés, director of Sustainability, ESG and Circular Economy Consulting at the firm.
“Although the manufacture of batteries and electric vehicles generates emissions, studies show that throughout their useful life, electric cars produce fewer emissions than combustion cars, especially if the electricity used to charge them comes from renewable sources,” he said in an interview last Monday. Among the environmental challenges facing electric car manufacturers are the extraction and processing of lithium and cobalt, materials necessary for batteries, which can have negative environmental and social impacts.
“However, more sustainable technologies and practices are being developed for mining and battery recycling,” Pagés said.
He made it clear that electric vehicle batteries must be recycled or disposed of properly at the end of their useful life to avoid soil and water pollution. “Battery recycling is improving,” said Pagés. The executive said that electric motors are more efficient than internal combustion engines, as they convert a greater proportion of the stored energy into movement, which reduces polluting emissions during operation.
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