A Ph.D. student affirmed that electric vehicles are better for the environment than cars with internal combustion engines.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, even with the energy required to manufacture a lithium battery, the emissions associated with EVs over a lifetime are lower than those from a gas-powered car.
TikToker Rosh (@all_about_climate), a student with degrees in both Earth and climate science, posted a response to a common myth about EVs. In the video, Rosh showed a clip of someone who said the energy used to mine lithium for EV batteries has a greater environmental impact than gas-powered cars.
@all_about_climate Are electric vehicles really worse for the environment and climate than internal combustion engine cars? Debunking a climate myth. #debunked #electricvehicle #car #mining #factcheck #environment #sustainable #climate #globalwarming #climatechange #lithium #greenenergy #renewableenergy #cleanenergy #rosh #carexpert #ev ♬ original sound - Rosh
While Rosh said there are some environmental consequences from EV battery production, the TikToker rejected the idea that internal combustion engines are better for the planet.
In the video, Rosh presented a graph from Generation Investment Management which showed that other metals were mined significantly more than lithium in 2022. For example, about 1.3 million kilotonnes of iron were mined compared to 130 kilotonnes of lithium.
"The idea that it's worse or even comparable to what we are currently doing to maintain the fossil fuel status quo is completely wrong," Rosh said.
The EPA said the planet-friendly vehicles have a smaller carbon footprint than their gas counterparts because they have zero tailpipe emissions. In fact, a new study found that EVs zero out their carbon footprint in just two years on the road.
The transportation sector is the largest source of air pollution in the country. Switching to an EV can keep pollution out of the atmosphere and help you avoid paying for maintenance and high gas prices.
Hundreds of TikTok users responded to Rosh's video. Many commenters agreed with Rosh's defense of EVs and the manufacturing of lithium batteries.
"The oil guy in the video reminds me of a tobacco company owner saying smoking is good," one commenter quipped.
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Absolutely 👍 "[You] hear that all the time and it is 100% wrong," another commenter said. "Basically propaganda from the oil industry. Lithium batteries can be fully recycled."
Researchers are also constantly working on making battery recycling more efficient to create a circular economy with these batteries.
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