To date, electric cars have been classified as “climate-neutral” under EU Climate Regulation 2019/631. This classification is based on a measurement method in which CO2 emissions are measured exclusively at the exhaust in the form of exhaust gases. Good to know: Electric cars don’t have exhaust pipes!
A new study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) titled “Defossilization Instead of Decarbonization” is now challenging this exclusive Brussels perspective and methodological logic by taking the entire life cycle of an electric car into account when assessing its carbon footprint.
Study conclusion:
1. “If the EU continues to rely solely on reducing CO2 in exhaust gases, it will fall far short of its own climate targets—a reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.”
2. Furthermore, there would be “serious industrial policy consequences.”
So “zero” at the exhaust doesn’t automatically mean “zero” over the entire life cycle!
For us, this debate shows that different propulsion systems and fuels should be evaluated based on transparent and comparable criteria across their entire value chain and lifecycle. This applies to electric mobility as well as to e-fuels and other fuels.
With e-fuels as well, the greenhouse gas footprint depends, among other things, on the energy used, the source of CO₂, production, and transportation. Blanket environmental claims would therefore be inappropriate.
Shouldn’t the EU focus on a vehicle’s entire life cycle in the future—rather than concentrating primarily on exhaust emissions?
