The electric car: part of the solution receive the last-minute alerts of the duty
Recently, some articles have questioned consumers to make the transition to electric cars for ecological and health reasons, they even saying that electric cars could prove more polluting thanpetrol cars.However, this is false.
Given the importance of the issues, we want to put everything back into perspective.
Whatever the method of land transport we use, whether electric, with petrol, individual or collective, the less we drive, the less we pollute.Doing a car is obviously ideal.But for people who really need a car, it is better then that it is electric.
Climate
The climate crisis is one of the main reasons why the electric car is an advantageous choice.Indeed, the first source of GHG emissions in Quebec, Ontario and the United States is now the transport sector.In Quebec, it represented 43 % of total GHG emissions in 2016. While GHG emissions from other sectors (industrial, commercial, waste, agriculture, etc.) stagnated or decreased, GES of transportationQuebec truckers increased by 52.3 % between 1990 and 2016. However Quebec aims to decrease our 20 % GHG emissions by 2020 and 37.5 % by 2030 compared to those of 1990.
During a full life cycle, GHG emissions from an electric car will be around 65 % lower over 150,000 km and 80 % lower over 300,000 km in Quebec.In regions where electricity production is less clean, this difference is less, but is nonetheless real, as confirmed by the American Department of Energy, which concludes that it is preferable to move by carPartially or entirely electric rather than a car equivalent to petrol ... in 50 states out of 50.
Electricity and oil
Electricity production continues to "green" in North America and elsewhere in the world.If, in Quebec, we are already 99 % renewable electricity, GHG emissions in electricity production decreased by 54 % in New York State and 87 % in Ontario between 1990 and 2015.In Alberta, the government provides that all coal -fired power plants will be closed by 2030.
Conversely, oil production is becoming dirty.In 2018, almost two -thirds of Canadian oil production came from bituminous sands.In the United States, shale oil represented 51 % of total oil production in 2015. However, these two types of oil emit much more GHG and air pollution than conventional oil ... and their production is constantly increasing.
In 2017, almost 80 % of the oil consumed in Quebec came from the United States and Canada… which translates into an increasing share of unconventional oil in our petrol cars.
Air pollution and health
In terms of health, an environmental analysis of one and the other mode (petrol and electric) must take into account human toxicity and health costs due to pollutants emitted by fossil vehicles.We should consider in an exhaustive analysis of the life cycle the costs and impacts of the fossil vehicle in a significant part of the $ 36 billion in health care and disability in Canada due to air pollution, which comes mainly from road transport, withoutForget the 21,000 premature annual deaths.
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In the harms of a polluted environment, particularly near the dense roads, we note learning and asthma disorders in children, pulmonary fibrosis, cancer and heart disease in baby boys and accelerated dementia in elders.
Wherever air pollution has decreased, a decrease in premature diseases and deaths have invariably measured.For those who cannot depart from a vehicle, it is better that it is electric to stop creating smog.
"Rare metals"
We find so-called "rare" metals in the petroleum industry, the anti-pollution systems of petrol cars, many small engines and electronic devices, such as galades, cellular, computers and televisions.Some engines of certain models of electric vehicles use it, but not all.It should be noted: there are no rare metals in the batteries of electric cars.
Life cycle and battery recycling
The batteries of electric cars are designed to last a long time (from 200,000 to 500,000 km, depending on technologies) and can then be used as stationary batteries in a second life.Regarding their third life (recycling), things evolve quickly.Take as an example the consortium made up of Quebec companies and Hydro-Québec which can recycle up to 99 % of the components of the battery, including lithium, cobalt and graphite.This long life expectancy of the battery of electric cars, coupled with its recycling, means that the use of mineral resources as well as the ecological footprint of the battery will be much less than it would have been believed to be fiveyear.As for the use of controversial metals, such as cobalt, it is constantly decreasing and should soon be eliminated.
Economy
In 2016, the Quebec trade deficit was 6.4 billion ... while our hydrocarbon imports amounted to 7.5 billion.Thus, the more we will reduce our imports of hydrocarbons to replace them with the use of our renewable electricity, the better the economy of Quebec.
We do not pretend that the electric car is perfect or that it represents the solution.That said, it remains one of the essential solutions to reduce our ecological footprint and improve our health, in combination with real prioritization of public transport (which will be more and more electric), active transport, carpooling-autopartage duo (which canvery well electric) ... and telework.
The transition should therefore not be opposed to electric vehicles to other solutions in terms of sustainable mobility.Rather, they must be added and combine them intelligently.
* This text is supported by the following personalities: Karim Zaghib, Director General of the Center of Excellence in Transport Electrification and Energy Storage of IREQ, named one of the most influential scientists in the world in 2015, 2016 and 2017 ; France Lampron, Electrification Director of Transport, Hydro-Québec; Catherine Kargas, chairman of the board of directors, Canada electric mobility; Pierre Langlois, physicist, author of numerous articles and works on the electrification of transport; Dr. François Reeves, intervention cardiologist, CHUM, Associate Professor of Medicine with affiliation to the School of Public Health, University of Montreal; Dominic Champagne, director and initiator of the pact for the transition; Catherine Morency, professor, holder of the mobility chair, Polytechnique Montréal; André St -Pierre, Managing Director, Innovated - Innovation in electrical energy; Sarah Houde, CEO, Quebec Propulsion; Simon-Pierre Rioux, president, association of electric vehicles of Quebec (AVÉQ); Patrick Bonin, Campaign Manager, Greenpeace; Karel Mayrand, Managing Director, David Suzuki Quebec and Atlantique Foundation; André Bélisle, president, Quebec association of fighting air pollution (AQLPA); Christian Simard, Managing Director, Nature Quebec; Sylvain Juteau, president, rollezelectrique.com; Stéphane Pascalon, President, Club Tesla Québec; Mario Langlois, President, Zero Coalition Zero Entreprise Québec and François Boucher, initiator of the petition in favor of the Vzé law.
