Electric Vehicle Environmental Impacts Explained: Debunking the Top 9 EV Myths

While it’s true that location, power source, driving style, specific model, and so much more can factor into the Earth-friendly math, there’s no doubt that buying and driving an EV is better for the planet than a gas-burner. No matter how deep you dive into the criteria, EVs come out ahead. In nearly every comparison to ICE (internal combustion engine) cars, they show a green-tinted edge:

• Fuel source — even if electricity comes from non-renewable sources
• Emissions per kilometer (CO2)
• Manufacturing — including batteries (more on that next)
• Lifetime emissions

Other studies point out that while ICE cars convert up to 30% of their fuel’s energy to actual momentum, EVs put down over 75%, making them more than three times as efficient as a propulsion source. So much of this comes down to the basic science behind electrified vehicles. An EV turns more of its fuel into driving energy (instead of heat and noise), recaptures energy through regenerative braking, and is more aerodynamically designed from the start.

While EV manufacturing can still be a resource-intensive process, they actually use hundreds fewer parts on average than ICE cars. That, combined with their fuel efficiency, longevity, and leverage of renewable resources, make electrified vehicles like EVs and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) a sure shot for transitioning away from carbon.

EV batteries are a big point of contention, given that they’re at the figurative heart of the car and the issue. The challenge is that batteries are made with rare-Earth minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Getting those minerals out of the ground and processing them into electrical components takes a lot of fossil-fuel-powered machinery. Then these heavy materials and the finished batteries need to be shipped across the globe.

In most cases, however, this still adds up to less than what’s required to build a similar ICE car. So many components are shared, after all: tires, wheels, interiors, electronics, safety features, etc. EVs also have dozens fewer parts in their drivetrains, the myth of the high-polluting EV factory is just that — myth.

And your next EV might finally put this myth to rest for good. While battery production currently accounts for about half of an EV’s overall manufacturing emissions, that’s rapidly reducing. Battery producers are shifting to low-carbon power sources and more eco-friendly formulas that use less of these rare-Earth minerals.

Finally, improvements in battery longevity and recycling help close the EV’s impact loop.

With the rare minerals, intensive refining, complex manufacturing, and global supply chain of an EV’s batteries, how long would it really take to offset its carbon footprint?

Lifecycle emissions are the total greenhouse gas emissions produced by a car from the time its raw materials are extracted from the ground to the moment it meets the crusher — and all those kilometers driven in-between. This is typically thought of in three phases: manufacturing, driving, and disposing.

Comparing similar EV and ICE vehicles, it takes only a few years of zero-emission driving to balance out any supply chain emissions, much longer than the average EV battery lifespan of ten years. Advances in battery chemistry, sourcing, efficiency, and recycling continue to tip that balance further in favor of the EV.

Whether EV battery recycling is currently difficult or not, it’s definitely mysterious. Half of EV buyers don’t know how their battery can be recycled or even when it will be ready for replacement. Did you know it doesn’t even have to be dismantled to be reused?

Second-life EV batteries already represent a billion-dollar market that’s predicted to skyrocket alongside EV adoption. Simply plucking the battery from an EV or PHEV and plugging it into a different system extends its life by another decade or more. Typically, these end up as part of large stationary battery banks for industrial or municipal electricity backups but can also pop up in homes — and even EV charging stations.

Many electrified vehicles have a higher sticker price than their non-electrified relatives, one reason some believe that EVs aren’t actually a cost-effective decision in the long term. Yet, while sales of battery-powered cars have increased, the average transaction price is actually on the decline. Even used EVs are cheaper than before as both supply and demand increase.

Due to a challenging combination of weight, complexity, safety, technology, and other factors, EVs might only have about half the range as their gas counterparts. Because it can take 20 minutes to 10+ hours to charge an EV battery to almost-full, range is an understandable concern.

But how concerning should it be? Depending on how often you drive 300+ kilometers at a time or how far your commute is, range might not even be an issue. It’s just a matter of shifting perspective from weekly fill-ups to nightly charge-ups or topping off at charging stations alongside stores and restaurants.

EV range is rapidly improving alongside batteries and the rest of their components, as are charging times. The number of EVs that can go at least 480 kilometers has increased 500%, with even humble economy sedans reaching almost 600km on a charge.

PHEVs, with their gas engines onboard alongside the EV system, represent an ideal middle ground. For example, the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV can go up to 61 kilometers on its hybrid battery alone yet go up to 687 kilometers total with the use of its gas tank. Plus, it can refuel in minutes.

Headlines have overblown the spectacle of battery fires after EV crashes given the newness of these cars. Easily busting that myth: EVs and hybrids are actually 29 times less likely to catch fire than a gasoline or diesel car. What’s more, emergency responders are quickly adopting new technology like fire blankets that rapidly extinguish an EV fire without blasting it with the chemicals required to snuff a fossil fuel fire.

EVs and PHEVs have to undergo the same kind of crash and safety testing as the rest of the vehicle market. Plus, they have additional safety requirements, specifically regarding their batteries. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) offers additional evidence. They discovered 40% fewer injury-related claims in EVs than in ICE vehicles.

With the added stress that air conditioners, refrigeration units, and heat pumps put on the power grid during hotter and hotter summers, it might be strange to think of EVs as being a burden. Some, however, worry that the nation’s power grid won’t be able to handle mass EV adoption.

That doesn’t need to be a concern since upgrades and investments to the grid are already happening all across Canada. With the advancements in power generation, vehicle efficiency, and charging networks still to come, the challenge is well under control.

Battery-powered vehicles represent a pivotal opportunity to embrace a brighter, cleaner, greener future for our planet. These efficient cars no longer suffer the growing pains of early technologies — they’re ready for mainstream adoption.

By choosing to go electric over a gas-only car, truck, or SUV, you can make a commitment to zero-emission driving that’s beneficial to your wallet, your neighbors’ lungs, and the planet itself. Across the fast-growing segment of automobiles sold with electrification — in battery-electric, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid layouts — there’s likely to be a car that fits your distinct lifestyle.

In debunking these nine EV myths, you can see why choosing an electrified vehicle is a clear path to more Earth-friendly driving.