Environment

Are electric cars ‘green’? The answer is yes, but it’s complicated

Published

4 years ago

July 26, 2021

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An electric vehicle charging point in Stoke-on-Trent, England.

Nathan Stirk | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The number of electric vehicles on the world’s roads is surging, hitting a record number last year.

That would seem to be good news, as the world tries to wean itself off fossil fuels that are wrecking the global climate. But as electric cars become more popular, some question just how environmentally friendly they are.

The batteries in electric vehicles, for example, charge on power that is coming straight off the electric grid — which is itself often powered by fossil fuels. And there are questions about how energy-intensive it is to build an EV or an EV battery, versus building a comparable traditional vehicle.

Are electric vehicles greener?

The short answer is yes — but their full green potential is still many years away.

Experts broadly agree that electric vehicles create a lower carbon footprint over the course of their lifetime than do cars and trucks that use traditional, internal combustion engines.

Last year, researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Exeter and Nijmegen in The Netherlands found that in 95% of the world, driving an electric car is better for the environment than driving a gasoline-powered car.

Electricity grids in most of the world are still powered by fossil fuels such as coal or oil, and EVs depend on that energy to get charged. Separately, EV battery production remains an energy-intensive process.

Producing electric vehicles leads to significantly more emissions than producing petrol cars … which is mostly from the battery production.

Florian Knobloch

Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance

A study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative found that the battery and fuel production for an EV generates higher emissions than the manufacturing of an automobile. But those higher environmental costs are offset by EVs’ superior energy efficiency over time.

In short, the total emissions per mile for battery-powered cars are lower than comparable cars with internal combustion engines.

“If we are going to take a look at the current situation, in some countries, electric vehicles are better even with the current grid,” Sergey Paltsev, a senior research scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative and one of the study’s authors, told CNBC.

Paltsev explained that the full benefits of EVs will be realized only after the electricity sources become renewable, and it might take several decades for that to happen.

Batteries are the biggest emitter

EVs rely on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to run. The process of making those batteries — from using mining raw materials like cobalt and lithium, to production in gigafactories and transportation — is energy-intensive, and one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions from EVs today, experts said.

Gigafactories are facilities that produce EV batteries on a large scale.

“Producing electric vehicles leads to significantly more emissions than producing petrol cars. Depending on the country of production, that’s between 30% to 40% extra in production emissions, which is mostly from the battery production,” said Florian Knobloch, a fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance.

Those higher production emission numbers are seen as “an initial investment, which pays off rather quickly due to the reduced lifetime emissions.”

China currently dominates battery production, with 93 gigafactories producing lithium-ion battery cells versus only four in the U.S., the Washington Post reported this year.

“I think the battery is the most complicated component in the EV, and has the most complex supply chain,” George Crabtree, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, told CNBC, adding that the energy source used in battery production makes a huge difference on the carbon footprint for EVs.

Batteries made in older gigafactories in China are usually powered by fossil fuels, because that was the trend five to 10 years ago, he explained. So, EVs that are built with batteries from existing factories

But that’s changing, he said, as “people have realized that’s a huge carbon footprint.”

Experts pointed to other considerations around battery production.

They include unethical and environmentally unsustainable mining practices, as well as a complex geopolitical nature of the supply chain, where countries do not want to rely on other nations for raw materials like cobalt and lithium, or the finished batteries.

Mining raw materials needed for battery production will likely be the last to get decarbonized, according to Crabtree.

Recycling and decarbonizing the grid

Today, very few of the spent battery cells are recycled.

Experts said that can change over time as raw materials needed for battery production are in limited supply, leaving firms with no choice but to recycle.

McKinsey’s Hannon outlined other reasons for companies to step by their recycling efforts. They include a regulatory environment where producers, by law, would have to deal with spent batteries — and disposing them could be more expensive.

“People who point to a lack of a recycling infrastructure as a problem aren’t recognizing that we don’t need extensive recycling infrastructure yet because the cars are so new, we’re not needing many back,” he said.

Most auto companies are already working to ensure they have significant recycling capacity in place before EVs start reaching the end of life over the next decade, he added.

It’s not silver bullet for climate change mitigation. Ideally, you also try to reduce the number of cars massively, and try to push things such as public transport

Florian Knobloch

Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance

Knobloch from Cambridge University said a lot of research is going into improving battery technology, to make them more environmentally sustainable and less reliant on scarce raw materials. More efforts are also needed in decarbonizing the electricity grid, he added.

“It’s very important that more renewable electricity generation capacity is added to the grid each year, than coal generation capacity,” Knobloch said.

“Nowadays, it’s much easier to build large scale solar or offshore wind compared to building new fossil fuel power plant. What we see is more renewable electricity coming into the grid all over the world.”

Still, he pointed out that generating electricity by using renewable sources will still emit greenhouse gases as there are emissions from producing the solar panels and wind turbines. “What we look at is how long will it take until the electricity grid is sufficiently decarbonized so that you see large benefit from electric vehicles,” Knobloch added.

Policies needed for societal change

Experts agree that a transition from gasoline-powered cars to EVs is not a panacea for the global fight against climate change.

It needs to go hand-in-hand with societal change that promotes greater use of public transportation and alternative modes of travel, including bicycles and walking.

Reducing the use of private vehicles requires plenty of funding and policy planning.

MIT’s Paltsev, who is also deputy director at the university’s joint program on the science and policy of global change, explained that there are currently about 1.2 billion fuel-powered cars on the road globally –that number is expected to increase to between 1.8 billion to 2 billion.

In comparison, there are only about 10 million electric vehicles currently.

People underestimate how many new cars have to be produced and how much materials will be needed to produce those electric vehicles, Paltsev said.

The International Energy Agency predicts that the number of electric cars, buses, vans and heavy trucks on roads is expected to hit 145 million by 2030.

Even if everyone drove EVs instead of gasoline-powered cars, there would still be plenty of emissions from the plug-in vehicles due to their sheer volume, according to Knobloch.

“So, it’s not silver bullet for climate change mitigation. Ideally, you also try to reduce the number of cars massively, and try to push things such as public transport,” he said. “Getting people away from individual car transport is as important.”

Environment

Is the Honda Prologue the best EV to lease right now?

Published

8 hours ago

June 25, 2025

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Is the Honda Prologue the best EV to lease right now?

The Honda Prologue continues to surprise, ranking among the top ten most leased vehicles (gas-powered or EV) in the US in the first quarter. It was the only EV, outside of Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3, that made the list.

Honda Prologue EV is one of the most leased vehicles

After launching the Prologue in the US last March, Honda’s electric SUV took off. In the second half of the year, it was the second-best-selling electric SUV, trailing only the Tesla Model Y.

The Prologue remains a top-selling EV in the US this year, with over 13,500 units sold through May. That’s not too bad, considering it only sold 705 through May of last year.

According to a new Experian report (via Automotive News), Honda’s success is being driven by ultra-affordable lease rates. In the first quarter, nearly 60% of new EV buyers in the US chose to lease, up from just 36% a year ago.

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Three EVs ranked in the top ten most leased vehicles in Q1, including the Tesla Model Y, Model 3, and Honda Prologue.

Honda-Prologue-most-leased-EV — 2025 Honda Prologue Elite (Source: Honda)

Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 took the top two spots, while the Honda Prologue ranked number seven. Those who leased Tesla’s Model 3 paid $402 per month, Honda Prologue lessees paid $486 a month.

Given the average loan rate was $708 a month for those who bought it, it’s no wonder nearly 90% chose to lease. Under 9% chose to buy, while less than 2% paid cash.

The discounts are piling up, but for how long?

To give you a better idea, the average monthly payment for a new vehicle lease in the US in the first quarter was $595.

With over $20,000 in discounts, Honda’s luxury Acura brand is selling a surprising number of EVs in the US. The nearly $65,000 Acura ZDX is sold for under $40,000 on average in May, according to Cox Automotive’s EV Market Monitor report for May.

Acura-ZDX-EV-lease — 2024 Acura ZDX (Source: Acura

The trend is primarily thanks to the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which is being passed on to customers through leasing.

With the Trump administration and Senate Republicans aiming to kill off federal subsidies, the savings could soon disappear. If the Senate’s recently proposed bill is passed, the $7,500 credit would expire within 180 days. It would not only make electric vehicles more expensive, but it would also put the US further behind China and others leading the shift to electrification.

Chevy-Equinox-EV — 2025 Chevy Equinox EV LT (Source: GM)

Some automakers, including GM, are expected to continue offering the incentives. “GM has been very competitive on the incentives on their end, and that is not scheduled to end.”

After outselling Ford, GM’s Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US through May. Chevy is starting to chip away at Tesla’s lead, largely thanks to the new Equinox EV, or “America’s most affordable +315 range EV,” as GM calls it.

According to Xperian, those who leased a new Chevy Equinox EV in Q1 paid $243 less than those who financed it. The electric Equinox stood out in Cox Automotive’s EV Market Monitor report with an average selling price under $40,000, even without incentives.

The Chevy Equinox EV remains one of the most affordable EVs on the market. Starting at just $34,995, the base LT FWD model offers an EPA-estimated range of 319 miles.

After Hyundai cut lease prices earlier this month, the 2025 IONIQ 5 might just take the cake. You can now lease the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 (now with a built-in NACS port) for as low as $179 per month.

Looking to test out some of the most popular EVs for yourself? With Honda Prologue leases as low as $259 per month and Chevy Equinox EV leases starting at just $289 per month, the deals are hard to pass up right now while the incentives are still here. You can use our links below to find models in your area.

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Environment

US energy storage set a new record in Q1 2025 but the future looks shaky

Published

8 hours ago

June 25, 2025

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US energy storage set a new record in Q1 2025 but the future looks shaky

US's largest virtual power plant energy storage — Photo: Sunrun

The US energy storage market just posted its strongest Q1 ever, adding more than 2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity across all segments, according to the latest US Energy Storage Monitor from Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association (ACP).

That makes Q1 2025 the biggest first quarter for energy storage in US history.

The surge was led by utility-scale projects, which accounted for over 1.5 GW of the new capacity, a 57% jump compared to Q1 2024.

Surging energy demand is putting the electric grid under strain,” said John Hensley, SVP of markets and policy analysis at ACP. “The energy storage market is responding to help keep the lights on and support this unprecedented growth in an affordable and reliable way.”

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But that momentum is now bumping up against policy uncertainty that could derail growth in the near future.

Indiana shows what’s possible

Energy storage is no longer limited to early-adopter states like California and Texas. In Q1, Indiana added 256 megawatts (MW) of new energy storage, quadrupling its total installed capacity. It now has more than 10 GW of new storage in its interconnection queue, the fifth-largest in the country.

Indiana’s growth is being driven by available land and clear permitting processes, two major barriers in other states.

“We’re now seeing significant deployment in emerging markets like Indiana, while states across the Southwest like Nevada and Arizona continue to expand their energy storage portfolio,” said Noah Roberts, VP of Energy Storage at ACP.

Home battery boom

Residential storage also set a new record, with 458 MW installed in Q1, the most ever in a single quarter. California and Puerto Rico led the way, accounting for 74% of that growth, while Illinois and other emerging markets began to pick up pace.

Trouble on the horizon

Despite a strong near-term outlook, the long-term picture is cloudier. The five-year forecast for utility-scale storage remains solid, but looming changes to federal policy could slash future growth.

If proposed changes to the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in the House’s reconciliation bill become law, the total storage buildout over five years could fall 27% below the current base case.

Distributed storage would take the biggest hit, with a projected 46% drop.
Utility-scale storage could shrink by 16 GW.

The CCI (community, commercial, and industrial) segment has already seen a 42% cut in its five-year outlook, weighed down by tariff risks and slow adoption of California’s NEM 3.0 rules.

The Q1 2025 results demonstrate the demand for energy storage in the US to serve a grid with both growing renewables and growing load,” said Allison Weis, global head of energy storage at Wood Mackenzie. “However, the industry stands at a crossroads, with potential policy changes threatening to disrupt this momentum.”

In the near term, the report expects 15 GW/49 GWh of new storage capacity to be installed across all segments in 2025, with utility-scale installations projected to grow 22% year-over-year. However, the utility-scale segment is at risk for a potential 29% contraction in 2026 due to policy uncertainty.

Bottom line: the energy storage boom isn’t slowing down – yet. But all eyes are on Congress.

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Environment

Cadillac just delivered the first Celestiq, a hand-built ultra-luxury EV that costs $350,000

Published

8 hours ago

June 25, 2025

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Cadillac just delivered the first Celestiq, a hand-built ultra-luxury EV that costs 0,000

The Celestiq is more than an ultra-luxury electric sedan. Cadillac is saying it “marks a new milestone in American luxury and innovation.” The ultra-luxury EV is hand-built at Cadillac House at Vanderbilt, but it’s not cheap. Cadillac’s flagship electric sedan starts at around $350,000.

Cadillac delivers the first ultra-luxury Celestiq EV models

Cadillac is back and better than ever. After delivering the first Celestiq models to customers on Tuesday, Cadillac said it’s out to re-establish the brand as the “Standard of the World.”

The ultra-luxury electric sedan was delivered during a private event at GM’s Global Tech Center in Warren, Michigan.

Each Celestiq model is hand-built at Cadillac House at Vanderbilt, where you can customize the vehicle through a “highly personalized experience.” Cadillac designers and engineers wanted to create the most technologically advanced vehicle possible.

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Although the Celestiq was first unveiled in 2022 and was expected to go into production in 2023, the ultra-luxury EV arrives with a slight increase in power.

The electric sedan features a dual-motor AWD powertrain, packing 655 horsepower and 646 lb-ft of torque (with Velocity Max), good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds. Powered by a massive 111 kWh battery, Cadillac says its flagship EV has a range of 303 miles.

Inside, you’ll find ample screen space with a 55″ advanced interactive display that spans the entire dashboard. It’s Cadillac’s first vehicle to feature five standard HD interactive displays, including two 12.6″ entertainment screens for rear passengers.

Other interior features include a panoramic Smart Glass Roof with four independently controlled sections, a 38-speaker AKG audio system, and Climatesense, a “world first” four-zone microclimate system.

Each Celestiq is built to order and assembled at GM’s new Artisan Center on its campus in Warren, Michigan. Prices start in the “mid-$300,000 range.” You can inquire for more information on Cadillac’s website.

Electrek’s Take

Cadillac is coming off one of its best sales quarters since 2008. With a full lineup of electric SUVs, Cadillac is aiming to be the bestselling luxury EV brand in the US this year.

With the entry-level Optiq, midsize Lyriq, three-row Vistiq, and massive Escalade IQ, Cadillac offers an EV in nearly every segment.

Earlier this week, GM announced that the 2026 Cadillac Optiq will be its first vehicle to launch with a built-in NACS port, allowing it to access Tesla’s Supercharger network.

Although Cadillac said the Celestiq would help re-establish the brand as the “Standard of the World,” it will likely play only a minor role. The Optiq, Lyriq, Vistiq, and Escalade IQ will be the growth drivers over the next few years in a competitive luxury EV market.

GM said over 75% of Optiq buyers were new to Cadillac last month. After delivering the first models in late 2024, Cadillac sold over 1,700 Optiqs in the first quarter, outpacing Mercedes-Benz, Genesis, and other luxury rivals in the US.

Looking to test out Cadillac’s new electric SUVs for yourself? We can help you get started. Check out our links below to find Cadillac Optiq, Lyriq, Vistiq, and Escalade IQ models available in your area.

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