An electric car emits CO2 and not just a little! This is the very honest confession of a Mitsubishi manager to France2 last week about the MiEV, the brand's latest electric car.
La Mitsubishi MiEV 100% is an electric car that would emit thus indirectly taking into account only the manufacture of batteries: 41 g / km CO2.

Nevertheless: 41 g of CO2 / km just for the manufacture (and recycling?) Of batteries seems quite important to us: is this a translation or interpretation error by journalists?

To make the complete CO2 and energy balance of an electric car compared to an equivalent thermal car should therefore compare:

a) gray energy and "gray CO2" necessary for the manufacture and sale of the vehicle

b) the energy and CO2 emitted during the use of the vehicle. This means comparing CO2 emissions per electric kWh and CO2 emissions from petroleum. For this here is CO2 emissions for electricity by European country. The advantage of electricity can be very small, or even negative!

c) gray energy and gray CO2 necessary for recycling or treating the vehicle at the end of its life.

But, fortunately for electric propulsion: it is not only energy and CO2 criteria to take into account!

To do this well, it would be necessary to put an economic cost on the pollution (other than CO2) from a classic thermal car! However, polluting emissions from transport alone are responsible for more 17 deaths in France alone… And therefore millions for Public Health (you know the famous security hole…). But is our health the priority of car manufacturers?

More:
- Eco Balance of electric propulsion
- The dead of pollution in France
- An electric car within 5000 euros?