Are electric vehicles really less polluting than a similar model that runs on gasoline? Is watching 30 minutes of streaming on Netflix equal to driving more than 6 kilometers in a car? The students of the Jules Ferry college, in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois in Essonne question us and we answer them with Etienne Monin, great reporter and specialist on climate and environmental issues at franceinfo.
Laly and Kenza wonder if it’s true”that electric cars are so environmentally friendly” and if “they are really much less polluting than thermal vehicles“?
According to Etienne Monin, it is “globally true“. We observe, according to the environment journalist of franceinfo, that in France “greenhouse gas emissions are mainly emitted by the circulation of thermal cars which represent 30% of emissions.”
However, Etienne Monin reminds us that the electric car is not “the miracle tool against greenhouse gas emissions”. To know which is more polluting between the electric car and the combustion engine, you have to look at what they emit over their whole life, so “from his birth to his death”. The “Carbone 4” firm calculates greenhouse gas emissions in France and reveals that “The construction, in particular of the battery, of an electric car emits more CO2 than for a thermal car.“Nevertheless Etienne Monin specifies that this relationship is reversed when “the electric car travels more than 30 to 40,000 kilometres, there it becomes less emitting than the thermal car.”
The other element to take into account to calculate the pollution generated by electric and thermal vehicles is the weight. Etienne Monin explains that “the heavier the car, the more it pollutes”. The franceinfo environment specialist specifies that “Electric cars can emit two to three times more pollution depending on their weight.” On Wednesday October 12, the Ecological Transition Agency (ADEME) published a report which reveals that the weight and size of electric car batteries must remain reasonable so that these vehicles are really less polluting. Finally, it should be noted that last June, the 27 Member States of the European Union approved a European Commission project which aims to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars in Europe to zero from 2035. In other words, they said “yes“to stop sales of thermal vehicles in favor of electric vehicles.
Thibaud asks if it’s true “that watching Netflix is more polluting than driving and is it true that watching 30 minutes of streaming via Netflix is equivalent to driving more than six kilometers in a car?“
To calculate this, Etienne Monin used the ADEME calculator which calculates, for example, the energy consumption of your car. According to this tool,six kilometers by car represent on average one kilo of CO2.“For its part, Netflix calculated the effects of streaming on its platform and communicated”that one hour of streaming represented 100 grams of CO2.“So according to the calculations of Etienne Monin”30 minutes of streaming represent 300 meters in cars and not six kilometres.“
However, you should know that in 2020, the Senate published a report on greenhouse gas emissions generated by digital technology, which could increase by 60% by 2040 if nothing were done to reduce its footprint. . Etienne Monin explains that this digital pollution first materializes through the “consumption of electricity, when it is not carbon-free, that is to say when it is produced with coal for example, it emits CO2.” Then there is “bandwidth usage“explains the environment specialist of francinfo, “When we do a lot of streaming, it can create a congestion on the bandwidth and it forces us to inflate it and therefore to consume more and more new materials.” Finally there is the pollution generated by the “construction of terminals, such as televisions or computer screens which have a very large carbon footprint“, specifies Etienne Monin.
How can everyone be better informed?
Participate in the consultation initiated as part of the European project De facto on the Make.org platform. Franceinfo is the partner