This distance consists in the break-even point.
The result is based on thousands of parameters.
The debate as to as much “cleaner” EVs are over internal combustion engine vehicles continues to rage. Depending on interests, arguments supporting one or the other type of propulsion are numerous. As of now, however, a near definitive conclusion to the dispute points to the fact that EVs are in fact less harmful to the environment.
This conclusion is the result of an exhaustive deep dive into thousands of different parameters that make the car’s “well-to-wheel” existence. Considerations include everything from the extraction and processing of minerals that make up batteries to how electricity to charge these vehicles is produced. Also tabulated are the materials that make up the car’s exterior and interior.
Reuters analysis of data from a model developed by Argonne’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) shows that, in the US, the average EV will need to travel 13,500 miles (21,725 km) in order to meet the break-even point. This model will help shape policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board, for the U.S.
Should the parameters be altered, the results can vary quite a bit. For example, if the energy is generated from renewable sources, the break-even point can come much sooner. The opposite is true if the electricity is produced using coal.
