Detroit, June 29 (Reuters)-You drive the stylish new electric Model 3, silently slip out of the Tesla (TSLA.O) showroom, satisfied that you look great and make it for the planet Has made his own contribution.

But keep going-you have to drive another 13,500 miles (21,725 ​​kilometers) to cause less harm to the environment than a gas-guzzling car.

This is the result of Reuters' analysis of model data for calculating vehicle life cycle emissions. As governments around the world promote more environmentally friendly transportation to achieve climate goals, this controversial issue is becoming the focus.

The model was developed by the Chicago Argonne National Laboratory and includes thousands of parameters, from the type of metal in an electric vehicle (EV) battery to the amount of aluminum or plastic in the car.

Argonne’s Greenhouse Gas, Regulated Emissions, and Technical Energy Use (GREET) model is now being used with other tools to help the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board develop policies for the two main vehicle emission regulations Agency United States.

Jarod Cory Kelly, chief energy systems analyst at Argonne, said that manufacturing electric vehicles produces more carbon than internal combustion engine vehicles, mainly due to the extraction and processing of minerals in electric vehicle batteries and the production of power batteries.

However, estimates of how large the carbon gap is when the car is first sold and the "break-even" point of an electric car in its life cycle may vary greatly, depending on assumptions.

Kelly said that the payback period depends on factors such as the size of the electric vehicle battery, the fuel economy of gasoline vehicles, and how the electricity used to charge the electric vehicle is generated.

Norway is the winner

Reuters inserted a series of variables into the Argonne model, which had more than 43,000 users as of 2021, to arrive at some answers.

The aforementioned Tesla 3 program is suitable for driving in the United States, where 23% of the electricity comes from coal-fired power plants, equipped with 54 kilowatt-hour (kWh) batteries and cathodes made of nickel, cobalt, and aluminum, among other variables.

It competes with the gasoline-fueled Toyota Corolla, which weighs 2,955 pounds and has a fuel efficiency of 33 miles per gallon. Suppose two cars travel 173,151 miles during their life cycle.

But if driving the same Tesla in Norway, almost all of the electricity comes from renewable hydroelectric power, then the break-even point will appear after only 8,400 miles.

According to the analysis of the data generated by Reuters, if the electricity used to charge electric vehicles comes entirely from coal, and coal generates most of the electricity in countries such as China and Poland, then you will need to drive 78,700 miles to achieve carbon parity with Corolla. Tribute model.

Reuters analysis shows that the production of medium-sized EV cars produces 47 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per mile during the extraction and production process, or more than 8.1 million grams before reaching the first customer.

This photo illustration taken on June 1, 2018 in Cardiff, California, USA shows a 2018 Tesla Model 3 electric car. REUTERS/Mike Blake

In contrast, a similar gasoline car produces 32 grams per mile, or more than 5.5 million grams.

According to Michael Wang, senior scientist and director of the System Evaluation Center of the Argonne Energy System Department, electric vehicles generally emit much less carbon during their 12-year lifespan.

Reuters analysis shows that even in the worst case, an electric car will only be charged from the coal-fired grid, it will generate an additional 4.1 million grams of carbon each year, while a similar gasoline car will generate more than 4.6 million grams of carbon. .

EPA told Reuters that it uses GREET to help assess renewable fuels and vehicle greenhouse gas standards, while the California Air Resources Board uses the model to help assess compliance with the state's low-carbon fuel standards.

The EPA said it also used Argonne's GREET to develop an online program that allows American consumers to estimate the emissions of electric vehicles based on the fuel used to generate electricity in their area.

Reuters' analysis results are similar to the results of the life cycle assessment of European electric and internal combustion engine vehicles by the IHS Markit research team.

According to Vijay Subramanian, IHS Markit's Global Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Compliance Director, his “well-to-wheel” study shows that the typical break-even point for electric vehicle carbon emissions is about 15,000 to 20,000 miles, depending on the country.

He said that using this method shows the long-term benefits of switching to electric vehicles.

Some people are not optimistic about electric vehicles.

Damien Ernst, a researcher at the University of Liege, stated in 2019 that a typical electric car must travel nearly 700,000 kilometers to emit less carbon dioxide than comparable gasoline cars. He later lowered his number.

Now, he estimates that the break-even point may be between 67,000 kilometers and 151,000 kilometers. Ernst told Reuters that he does not intend to change these findings, which are based on a different set of data and assumptions from the Argonne model.

Other groups continue to argue that electric vehicles are not necessarily cleaner or more environmentally friendly than fossil fuel vehicles.

The American Petroleum Institute, which represents more than 600 companies in the petroleum industry, stated on its website: "Multiple studies have shown that on a life cycle basis, different vehicle power systems can cause similar greenhouse gas emissions."

Argonne National Laboratory is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and operated by the University of Chicago.

Our standard: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Subscribe to our daily featured newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters reports sent to your inbox.

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people around the world every day. Reuters provides business, financial, domestic and international news directly to consumers through desktop terminals, world media organizations, industry events and directly.

Rely on authoritative content, lawyer editing expertise, and industry-defining technology to build the most powerful argument.

The most comprehensive solution to manage all complex and expanding tax and compliance needs.

The industry leader in providing online information for tax, accounting and financial professionals.

Access unparalleled financial data, news, and content with a highly customized workflow experience on desktop, web, and mobile devices.

Browse an unparalleled combination of real-time and historical market data and insights from global resources and experts.

Screen high-risk individuals and entities around the world to help discover hidden risks in business relationships and interpersonal relationships.

All quotes are delayed by at least 15 minutes. Please see the complete list of exchanges and delays here.