Anyone standing next to two idling cars—one powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE) and the other by a battery—might assume it would be easy to identify the one producing the more damaging environmental impact. But can they?

While the tailpipe emissions from the two vehicles can be easily compared, this method of assessment captures just a snapshot of the complete environmental impact produced by the vehicles, some researchers maintain. While the EV and its faint, slot-car-like hum has earned it mass public perception as eco-friendly, it's important to assess the entire lifecycle of the EV to gain a more precise view of its environmental impact. That’s a view that captures its manufacture, distribution, use, longevity, disposal and even use location, to name just a few, during which both greenhouse gases and local pollutants are emitted.

Full Environmental Impact: The Lifecycle of the EV

Source: “Supercharged: The Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles,” Fuels Institute; www.fuelsinstitute.org