CE-F434: ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT

An Assignment on:

EVs : BOON OR BANE?

Submitted to:
Dr. Anupam Singhal
(Instructor in-charge)
CE-F434

Submitted by:
Abhivadhya Vatsa (ID: 2020A2PS1738P)
Dhruv Gupta (ID: 2020A7PS1680P)
Samkit Jain (ID: 2020ABPS1853P)
Shikhar Sharma (ID: 2020A2PS0643P)
 Abstract

Electric Vehicles are quickly taking over the news and the Automobile market. It is

significantly believed that electric vehicles could curb the present world climate and fuel

shortage crisis. This article briefly discusses the origin, history and the market share of

Electric Vehicles, and primarily focuses on some aspects and views on the manufacturing

process and the environmental aspect of the same. It also discusses some innovations and

advancements in the automobile industry.

 Table of Contents

Pg. No.

What Exactly is an Electric Vehicle? 4

Electric Vehicles' Development: From the Electric Carriage to Electric Automobiles 4

The "Global Electric Vehicle Market" in Brief 6

'Consumer expenditure' on Electric Vehicles: A Brief Outline 7

A Summary of "Governments Spendings" on Electric Cars 7

What Goes in Making and Running an Electric Vehicle? 8

Production of Li-ion Batteries 8

Effects of Mining Lithium on Environment 8

Steps that can be Taken by Automobile Industries to Minimize Impact on Environment 10

Electric Motors - Knowing the Impacts 12

Charging of EVs – Illusion 15

Innovations and Advances in Electric Vehicles 17

Conclusions 18

Recommendations 19

References 21
What Exactly is an Electric Vehicle?
As the name implies, an electric vehicle is one that gets its power from electricity. Unlike
conventional vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel engines, electric cars and trucks use electric
motors that are fuelled by batteries or fuel cells. When compared to traditional forms of
transportation, electric cars have the potential to significantly cut pollution because they
produce no exhaust emissions.

Electric Vehicles' Development: From the Electric Carriage to

Electric Automobiles:
Many people deserve appreciation for the common creation of electric automobiles. The first
electric motor was created in 1828 by Anyos Jedlik, who then utilised it to create the first
miniature electric vehicle. Between 1832 and 1839, Scottish inventor Robert Anderson also
developed a crude electric vehicle. Scooter's India Pvt Ltd produced the first electric vehicle, a
three-wheeler known as the VIKRAM SAFA, in 1996. The total number of cars produced and
sold was 400. A popular electric bus with 18 seats was also developed by BHEL in 2000. Then,
some 200 electric vehicles were built and put to service in Delhi. The battery did not, however,
fare well on the market because of its high price and limited lifetime. Electric automobiles were
created in the 19th century. They had previously not performed very well on the market because
of their expensive price, poor speed, and limited range. As a result, demand first declined
everywhere. They have, however, been used for transportation and public transportation,
primarily as rail cars.

Fig.: The oldest electrically

driven carriage

Gas-powered cars emit a lot of smoke and are very bad for the environment, which has become
a bigger problem in the 21st century as environmental consciousness has increased. Electric
car interest increased as a result. Electric cars were well-liked by those who drove them in
cities, where their limited range did not pose an issue. It also became popular since it was an
easy choice and didn't need changing gears. It didn't make any noise or tremble. It did not
require a manual start, which was an additional advantage.
The adoption of electric cars was held back by a weak power infrastructure. The first suggestion
for an exchangeable battery service was made in 1896 as a response to the limited operational
range of electric automobiles and the lack of recharging infrastructure.

Additionally, they produce and market their goods. A precedent for effective and
environmentally friendly transportation was set in 2017 when Etrio received roughly $3 million
from HNIs and started work on turning current gasoline-powered commercial vehicles into
electric versions. The market was dominated by electric rickshaws, which are rather
widespread.

Fig.: Tesla: A revolutionary

automobile company in the
EV industry

In India, around 500 000 e-rickshaws were sold between 2016 and 2017. It greatly facilitated
the populace's daily journey. Delhi NCR is now the region where these rickshaws are used the
most often. The government is strongly pushing the usage of electric vehicles in heavily
polluted urban areas. 11 municipalities will receive financial assistance from the FAME
project, which stands for "Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
in India," to deploy electric buses, taxis, and e-rickshaws. Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore,
Jaipur, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Indore, and Kolkata are among the cities marked out
for assault. This also holds true for the additional cities of Jammu and Guwahati.
The "Global Electric Vehicle Market" in Brief:
10 million electric cars were sold globally in 2020, a rise of 43% over 2019 and a 1% stock
share, capping ten years of explosive development. In the year 2020, BEVs (which stands for
Battery Electric Vehicles) will account for 2/3 of all new electrically powered automobile
registrations. China tops the list with 45 lac electric vehicles, but in 2020, Europe overtook it
as the greatest annual manufacturer with 32 lac vehicles, despite the Covid-19 epidemic having
a significant negative economic impact on the market for all types of autos. Less new
automobiles were registered in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same time in 2019.

Fig.: Global Electric Car Registrations (2015-2020)

Overall, there was a 16% decrease year over year, albeit there was more activity in the second
half to somewhat balance this. Notably, the percentage of electric car sales globally increased
by 70% to a record 4.6% in 2020 despite a fall in conventional and total new car registrations.
In 2020, almost 30 lac new electrically powered vehicles were registered. With 14 lac brand-
new registrations, Europe once again took the top spot. China registered 1.2 million new
electric vehicles after the United States did 295 000. The number of electric car registrations
increased in 2020 due to a number of causes. It is noteworthy that the total cost of ownership
for electric cars is constantly decreasing in a lot of nations. Many countries offered or extended
tax incentives that protected the purchase of electric cars from the slump in the auto sector.
'Consumer expenditure' on Electric Vehicles: A Brief Outline:
While government EV aid is stable, consumer EV purchases are rising. From 2019 to 2020,
consumer expenditure on electric car purchases climbed by 50%, reaching USD 120 billion,
translating to a 41% rise in sales and a 6% increase in average expenses. The higher percentage
of new electric car registrations in Europe, where costs are typically higher than in Asia, is the
cause of the rising average price. In 2020, the average BEV will cost approximately USD
40,000 globally, while the average PHEV will cost about USD 50,000.

A Summary of "Governments Spendings" on Electric Cars:

2020 will see a USD 14 billion (or 25% higher) increase in global government spending on
direct purchase incentives and tax breaks for electric vehicles. Despite this, the government has
been spending less on EV subsidies, from around 20% in 2015 to 10% in 2020.
Only Europe saw a rise in government investment, as several of its countries put incentive
schemes in place to encourage the sale of electric vehicles in reaction to the pandemic's effects
on the world economy. As eligibility requirements for incentive programmes tightened, China's
government spending decreased.
A key advance in subsidy programmes was the adoption of price ceilings in Europe and China,
which prohibit subsidies for vehicles with costs over a certain threshold. As a consequence, the
average cost of electric vehicles may have fallen in both China and Europe: In 2020, PHEV
automobiles in Europe cost 8% less than BEV vehicles in China.
What Goes in Making and Running an Electric Vehicle?
Making an Electric Vehicle is a complex manufacturing process, involving
manufacturing of its various sub-parts. Some of the significant ones are mentioned
below in the article.

Production of Li-ion Batteries:

Lithium is the most important raw material which is required, mining of which is a very tedious
task. The ill effects of mining lithium and the production of Li-ion batteries are discussed
below.

Effects of Mining Lithium on Environment:

1. 500000 gallons (2 million liters) of water are needed to make 1 tonne of lithium. Such
massive water use has a significant impact on neighborhood farmers in addition to the
surrounding ecosystems. Around 65% of the water in Chile's Salar de Atacama is used
for mining. In many regions of the world, farming operations are halted because of the
high water needs. Evaporation pools are built close to the water sources for the
extraction process. Many harmful substances leak into the soil during evaporation,
further polluting the water supplies.
2. The entire lithium extraction process results in more frequent environmental releases
of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Lithium miners eliminate any other
living organisms from the areas they are aiming for mining in order to remove barriers.
Green plants and trees extract more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through a
process called photosynthesis. As a result, lithium miners stop this process from
occurring. Furthermore, the large machinery used by lithium miners consumes a lot of
energy and produces a number of dangerous compounds, including carbon dioxide.
Over 70% more carbon dioxide is produced during the manufacture of a 500
kilogramme EV battery compared to a typical automobile.
3. Another unfortunate fact is that large-scale lithium production requires a lot of land. As
a result, the bulk of miners are forced to take agricultural land out of their communities'
ecosystems. There are a few woods in these hot, arid, mountainous areas. The bare
minimum of resources is required for both plants and animals to exist. Due to extensive
lithium mining, the few remaining areas of viable land become barren. Lithium mining
 activities devastate the ecosystems and minerals that are necessary for plant
development. As a result, lithium mining is to blame for the start of desertification in
many parts of the world.
4. There are several intermediary phases throughout the process when a lot of waste is
generated, including sulphuric acid, uranium by-products, and poisonous fumes. The
entire waste is highly carcinogenic and can lead to several respiratory issues.
Additionally, the quality of the plants is also deteriorated by these pollutants.

Making a battery requires a significant amount of energy after Li is removed. According to

cumulative energy demand (CED), which quantifies the amount of energy used in the
manufacture of automotive batteries, the creation of a typical lithium-ion battery consumes
three times as much electrical energy as that of a generic battery.

Some EIA approaches can be used to reduce the environmental impact of mining. For instance,
the image below shows the concentration of mining-related mercuric waste in a body of water.
To maintain control over the environment, other issues including damage to vegetation, the air
pollution index, and land pollution might be considered. The miners should be required to take
specific actions to reduce the impact before continuing mining if the values surpass the
detrimental limit.
Even a "green" hybrid or electric automobile contributes to climate change since automaking
involves metal extraction procedures that generate significant amounts of greenhouse gases.
According to some studies, the production of vehicles has a greater negative impact on the
environment than the production of any other item, including raising cattle and producing steel.
 Fig.: Adsorbed Hg near a mine (in ng/l)

Steps that can be Taken by Automobile Industries to Minimize

Impact on Environment:
1. Water is used in factories for a variety of purposes during the production process,
including washing, cooling, dilution, and sanitation. Manufacturing companies should
think about strategies to recycle water inside their facilities rather than flushing sewage
into storm drains and sewers. Water audits can be performed by water companies and
experts in water resources to provide more thorough guidance.
2. Energy audits are used to identify the equipment or procedures that consume the most
energy. This information is helpful since it pinpoints the precise areas that require the
greatest improvement. A plant has a place to start when decreasing its energy use when
it pinpoints the worst offenders. Furthermore, energy audits could lower yearly energy
costs. The cost savings from energy-saving methods often outweigh the initial
investment made by firms.
3. Aging equipment that runs inefficiently might waste energy. If repairs or part
replacements fail to provide improvements, manufacturing firms can replace obsolete
equipment with newer, more energy- and time-efficient ones. Though time reductions
may decrease product turnaround times or eliminate bottlenecks, newer models will
consume less energy. An energy audit will reveal which equipment and processes need
 the most improvement. Equipment releases a lot of thermal energy that is wasted.
Manufacturers can acquire cogeneration systems to make use of this unused heat by
using the thermal energy generated by machinery to mildly heat water or spaces.
4. Instead of throwing the scrap metal and waste materials in the garbage, think about
whether and how the industry might be able to use them. If this is not feasible, make an
effort to recycle all waste materials correctly. making sure the personnel is informed so
they are aware of the difference between garbage and recyclables.
Electric Motors - Knowing the Impacts:
Electric motors are an essential component for any electric car to run. It is the backbone of EV
industry, and fairly depends further on numerous industries, including mining and the steel
industries.

Electric motors can be vastly divided into two categories: Synchronous and Non-Synchronous
motors, which are divided into further categories as follows:

Electric Motors

ASynchronous Synchronous

Induction Motors Current-Excited Motors

Permanent Magnet Motors

Most of these motors rely on some commonly used conductive metals, like Iron, Copper,
Aluminium, Steel, silicone and some of their alloys of different ratios and combinations.
Copper is a key element due to its high ductility and fairly high conductivity. All of these
metals involve mining and various other industrial processes to make them fit for their required
usage.

The mining of these metals significantly contributes to the environment in an adverse manner.
Some globally studied datasets declare that the mining volumes have globally doubled since
2000 in the tropical ecosystems, where most variety and density of the flora and fauna are
found. Due to mining being done near river and other water bodies, the river and its
corresponding tributaries were severely affected by mining activities and excessive elements
in the water being tested were corresponding to those being mined nearby. This resulted in the
surface water remaining no more fit for drinking.

Copper, being termed as “an element for clean energy” stands contrary in disguise against the
term. Due to excessive demand, (doubling from 2019 to 2020) is expected to increase
worldwide to an approximate of 350% due to the switching by the world to sustainable living.
Nearly 90% of the Copper and Gold extraction sites are present in below average groundwater
availability, making the situation worse by extracting the same beyond alerting limits.

Fig.: Usage of GIS methods for various mining projects

Fig.: Land use in mining in different countries

Motors used in electric vehicles are chosen according to needs, though all of them require
highly energy consuming manufacturing processes.
Induction motors, which are primarily used by Audi, Mercedes and Tesla, have low
efficiency and power density and bigger cooling needs, thus aren’t preferred by other
manufacturers.

On the other hand, some companies, like Porsche, Hyundai and Jaguar use Synchronous
Permanent magnet motors, that use the concept of permanent magnets. The manufacturing of
these motors requires some rare earth and heavy metals, that take up more energy in mining
and processing and are relatively unsafe. Permanent magnet motors have magnets that use an
alloy of Nickel and Cobalt, making the motor manufacturing process highly energy intensive.

The better way out:

Current-excited motors are a trend in the electric vehicles industry, and are currently being
used by Renault and BMW in their electric cars. These motors are relatively cheaper to
construct, do not involve rare earth metals and are most energy efficient of all and has no risk
of demagnetisation, unlike permanent magnet motors.

Though the topic is being researched at peak, more sustainability is being focused, primarily
by reduction of energy consumption in manufacturing processes and replacement of energy-
intensive mining metals by some alternatives, natural or man-made.
Charging of EVs – Illusion:
“Electric Vehicles save energy, fossil fuels and curb pollution.”

The above statement is generally said by the general public, when they are told to give their
take on EVs. However, due to being unaware of facts, this is just a myth. The diagram below
explains the same.

E1 E2

As energy is transported through a long passage from power production plants to power
distribution and classification grids, and finally to houses, there are some losses in the way,
due to resistance of the wires being used in transmission. No power transmission is 100% till
date. This energy transported to houses is then finally supplied to the electric vehicles during
charging. E1 and E2 in the above diagram represent the inefficiencies that are involved
transporting the electrical energy finally from plant to the vehicle.

In some countries like India, presently the largest source of electricity is thermal power plants,
which produces energy by combustion of fossil fuels, primarily coal. Therefore, this energy,
which combusts fossil fuels, is no different than the energy that was being produced by Fossil
fuel-run vehicles. The difference here, is just the location of combustion of the fuels, not the
source of energy. This is added up to the inefficiencies due to transportation of energy from a
long distance – from power production plants finally to the electric vehicles.

Adding up to this, coal is a relatively unclean fossil fuel when compared to petrol, diesel or
gasolines. Due to impurities, coal is more likely to produce significantly more amounts of
harmful and toxic gaseous chemicals on combustion, which is a bane when compared with
combustion of other cleaner alternatives.

Thermal power plants across the globe majorly use steam to rotate their turbines, that finally
produce energy. This process itself is more inefficient compared to modern petrol, gasoline and
diesel engines, which causes more inefficiencies in the discussed process.

Fig.: Working of a coal thermal power plant (each

step of energy transfer involves some inefficiencies)

It is just, that the source of pollution has changed to the fuel used by the thermal power plants
and has been transferred to a more remote region, where there might be probability of a better
flora and fauna, better groundwater conditions and futuristic probability of people settling in
the region. This fact makes it worse than the traditional mode of vehicles.

Therefore, in some cases, EVs currently might be more inefficient and environment ravaging
than the traditional fuel-powered cars.
Innovations and Advances in Electric Vehicles:
The price of electric cars has decreased as a result of battery advancements. As the price of
electric vehicle batteries has progressively dropped, more people can now afford the cars
themselves. Since 2010, the average cost of batteries has dropped from $1,000/kWh to
roughly $227/kWh. As a result, the car's overall cost is significantly reduced. In addition to
the price of battery manufacture, batteries' efficiency has increased. Overall, the majority of
electric cars employ lithium-ion batteries. Businesses like Tesla have continued to make
considerable expenditures in this technology since these batteries have such a big
rechargeable capacity. An important advancement in lithium-ion batteries was demonstrated
by Stanford researchers who developed a protective nano-coating that grows as the battery's
temperature rises. Even yet, there are still a number of issues that need to be resolved before
electric cars can be utilised extensively.
As infrastructure and technology for electric cars continue to advance, we may expect to see
an increase in their use. Although there aren't many electric car charging stations
countrywide, it doesn't mean they aren't expanding. Experts are working hard to identify
strategies that will increase battery pack capacity while simultaneously bringing down
manufacturing costs in terms of battery pack efficiency. This will extend the driving range of
vehicles while maintaining their affordability. In addition to the expansion of charging
stations, public transportation options must be improved in order to provide last-mile
mobility to and from existing charging stations. The usage of electric cars for both business
and personal needs can truly take off once this final step is completed.
 Conclusion
The effect of electric vehicle adoption on individual and a nation's greenhouse gas emission
profiles has been conclusively determined. Over time, the pollution profiles of all vehicle types
will fall, but all these reductions will have the greatest influence on the technological
advancement of electric mobility. A rechargeable electric car reduces greenhouse gas
emissions by roughly 90 percent compared to a conventional vehicle over the lifetime of the
vehicle. Adoption of electric vehicles at the commercial level results in a significant reduction
in emissions. The given mass adoption scenarios indicate how boosting the utilization of
electric vehicles can substantially decrease national and regional greenhouse gas emissions,
resulting in a healthy ecosystem. Electric mobility is being investigated as a potential means of
mitigating the environmental impact of the transportation industry. The extent to which Electric
Vehicles perform better in terms of greenhouse gas emissions compared to Internal
Combustion Engine Vehicles, as well as the variables that determine such performance, are the
subject of a heated dispute among academicians and practitioners. In all analysed scenarios,
the CO2 emissions associated with an Electric Vehicle's life cycle are lower than those of a
comparable IC Engine Vehicle. Moreover, the analysis emphasises the enormous influence on
a vehicle's CO2 emissions related with the geographic location of the upstream phases of the
electric - vehicle value chain and the significant impact on a vehicle's gas mileage. The use
phase has the greatest impact on CO2 emissions from Electric Vehicles and it is followed by
the vehicle and battery production phases. The impact of the energy mix on the environmental
performance of Electric Vehicles is supported by both pieces of evidence, as shown by the
methodology. Due to the values of some key input variables, such as battery size, vehicle
weight, particular battery energy consumption, and motor's efficiency, the CO2 emission levels
rise.
 Recommendations
Our findings provide policymakers with recommendations for encouraging the proliferation of
electric vehicles to combat environmental challenges. A more sustainable transport industry,
as a result of the diffusion of electric vehicles (EVs), would necessitate a greater level of
Renewable Energy Source (RES) penetration; accordingly, policymakers are urged to draw up
consistent policies (e.g., in terms of mandatory targets and incentive schemes) to
simultaneously promote the diffusion of EVs and RES. Moreover, given the enormous impact
of the upstream stages of a vehicle's life cycle on its CO2 emissions, policymakers should
encourage the development of local supply chains in countries with a high level of RES
penetration in order to achieve substantial environmental benefits in addition to economic ones.
The study demonstrates an increase in CO2 emissions from small to large vehicles,
policymakers should review and update provisions supporting the EV diffusion to make small-
sized vehicles more appealing, thereby shifting customer preferences that appear to be currently
oriented towards large-sized vehicles. Government agencies should conduct long-term
evaluations to examine the spatial and temporal trends of lithium in different ecosystems,
particularly the agricultural and natural resources around urban centres, in order to better
understand the sources and endpoints of lithium. Moreover, city runoffs and municipal
wastewater facilities may include significant levels of lithium in the near future; therefore, it is
essential to define the benchmark in order to recognize the trends and environmental dumping
of lithium.
Here are some useful suggestions specifically for the problem of Lithium:
 Minimizing the usage of Lithium batteries – If the manufacturers stop using
them in their products, then the demand will automatically go down. Multiple ways
could be used to reduce the Li-ion battery consumption as a single way might not
work. Sodium Salt based batteries, Magnesium batteries, glass batteries, sea salt-
based batteries, Flow batteries, a commercially viable source of energy storage for
long durations, are some of the popular alternatives in development and scaling.
 Reuse and Recycle of Lithium- If proper efforts to encourage reuse and
recycling are not implemented, huge amount of lithium battery waste may be
accumulated, with many of them going to landfill or incinerators, raising the
dangers of lithium to the environment. Operational and functional and plans for
recycling lithium-contained waste are desperately required at the city and state
levels.
 Improving the already existing technology- If we cannot find an effective
replacement for lithium-ion batteries, we can strive to extend their lifespan using
modern technologies. This would put an end to massive lithium extraction. Several
colleges have already begun to investigate methods to make this proposal a reality.
The University of Texas is looking into adding molybdenum and sulphur to
batteries to make them last longer. Another group of researchers are considering
utilising sulphide electrodes to increase the number of charge-discharge cycles
without compromising the battery's performance.
 Finding alternative sources of lithium- We also have the option of making
investments in cutting-edge and cost-effective mining processes that can harvest
lithium from oceans.

.
 References
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-022-01547-4

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/09/copper-mining-reveals-clean-energy-
dark-side

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Machine-Learning-in-Electric-Motor-Production-
and-Mayr-Franke/754aeebf160db215c02e42665c83a62f6963e971

https://www.arenaev.com/different_types_of_electric_motors_used_in_evs-news-214.php

https://www.etrio.in/blog/history-of-electric-vehicles.html

https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2021/trends-and-developments-in-electric-
vehicle-markets

https://climate360news.lmu.edu/lithium-not-as-clean-as-we-thought/

https://ecojungle.net/post/lithium-extraction-environmental-impact/

https://e360.yale.edu/features/lithium-mining-water-andes-argentina

https://archive.attn.com/stories/13637/hidden-environmental-cost-manufacturing-vehicles

https://greentumble.com/environmental-impacts-of-factories-and-how-they-can-improve/