EVs are already 73 pct cleaner than ICE vehicles, and getting cleaner faster than thought

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sold today in Europe emit nearly four times less greenhouse gases over their lifetime than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts, and they are getting cleaner faster than experts expected.

New research published this week by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates that BEVs sold today in Europe produce 73 per cent less life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than an equivalent gasoline-powered counterpart – even when factoring in production of the vehicle.

Specifically, medium segment passenger BEVs sold across the European Union in 2025 and charging based on the projected 2025–2044 average EU electricity mix were shown to have an estimated life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions value of 63 grams of CO₂ equivalent per kilometre (g CO₂e/km).

This was 73 per cent lower than the emissions of gasoline-powered vehicles running on the average blend of fossil gasoline and ethanol, which were shown to have an estimated life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions value of 235 g CO₂e/km.

The numbers highlight that the savings in a BEV go beyond just tailpipe CO2 emissions – given that emissions from fuel production are higher than those from electricity within the average EU electricity mix.

And even though BEVs are estimated to generate around 40 per cent higher production emissions than ICE vehicles due to the emissions from battery manufacture, these additional emissions are “more than offset” after around 17,000 kilometres of use in the first one or two years.

On top of that, the life-cycle emissions of BEVs were 24 per cent less than estimated in ICCT’s 2021 life-cycle analysis study, reflecting the ongoing decarbonisation of the EU’s average electricity mix.

Renewable energy sources are expected to account for 56 per cent of electricity generation in Europe, an 18-point increase compared with 2020, and a trend which the EU’s Joint Research Centre expects will continue to increase in the next decade, reaching 86 per cent by 2045.

That means a new BEV remaining on the road for around 20 years will deliver even more climate benefits.

When using only renewable electricity to charge a BEV, the car’s life-cycle emissions fell to 52 g CO₂e/km, 78 per cent lower than ICE vehicles.

Importantly, while the gap between BEVs and ICE vehicles continues to stretch, so too does the gap with hybrids (HEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which showed only marginal or no gains in reducing their climate impacts.

According to the ICCT, HEVs and PHEVs offer only 20 per cent and 30 per cent lower lifetime emissions than gasoline-powered vehicles, respectively.

“Battery electric cars in Europe are getting cleaner faster than we expected and outperform all other technologies, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids,” said Dr. Marta Negri, a researcher at the ICCT.

“This progress is largely due to the fast deployment of renewable electricity across the continent and the greater energy efficiency of battery electric cars.”

The study also looked at other powertrain and fuel options such as hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), but while FCEVs relying on green hydrogen offer significant emissions reduction of 79 per cent compared to ICE vehicles, FCEVs running on hydrogen produced from natural gas deliver only a 26 per cent reduction.