ROME – After many often contradictory studies and many controversies around the real emissions caused by the production and diffusion of electric cars, an Italian research has arrived signed by the Caracciolo Foundation, Aci study center, and by the CARe research center (Center for automotive research and evolution) of the Guglielmo Marconi University which calculates the global impact, from the extraction of raw materials to the reuse and subsequent disposal of the batteries, defining the emission values for each type of use on the road.
The Italian firm is the first internationally to evaluate CO2 emissions over the entire life cycle, also considering the impact produced by the construction of infrastructures and technological solutions for electricity production, such as photovoltaic panels or thermoelectric power plants. And he is the first to define specific categories of electric car users, from families with children, couples or singles, to the company manager who travels for work, analyzing their respective charging habits (domestic with self-production or from the network electric, urban column, fast recharge) and the real distances on the road, obtained from data from the main national databases. The result is a sort of manual that marks the birth of the concept of “electro-type”, similar to the phototype with which you choose the sunscreen cream based on your complexion.
Each electro-type, from the father of a family to the user of a company car, has its own specific impact which depends on the driving style, the type of route (urban, suburban or motorway), the charging habits and the origin of the electricity it uses, extremely different from an environmental point of view if produced from renewable sources, or from coal-fired power plants, as is still the case in some areas of the world.
The result of each electro type is clearly displayed and explained in easily accessible cards, which allow the potential electric motorist to identify their situation, verifying its global impact in terms of CO2 emissions and identifying possible corrections if they wish to reduce it.
The numbers obtained are of great interest and show how a small electric city smart, at best, emits only 5.5 grams per kilometer of CO2 equivalent overall, while a Tesla Model 3, built and powered using over 70% of fossil fuels, can reach (in the worst possible case) to 263.8 g / km. According to the estimates of the same researchers, traditional cars at best do not drop below 146 g / km (almost thirty times more than electric), while at worst they exceed 250 g / km, on the same level as the Tesla. “Coal”.