Is Automotive New Energy Really Environmentally Friendly

Since the launch of new energy vehicles, the debate on whether they are environmentally friendly has continued. Some people believe that new energy vehicles, as transportation work using new energy sources, have natural advantages in energy conversion efficiency, and therefore, they are inevitably more environmentally friendly. Another part believes that in the general environment of thermal power generation in China, using electricity is basically equivalent to using coal in a disguised form, Although its conversion efficiency is higher, considering the power generation efficiency, its conversion efficiency for initial energy is not necessarily higher than that of traditional fuel vehicles. So, are new energy vehicles really environmentally friendly?

New energy vehicles differ from traditional fuel vehicles in that at least one power source is new energy. At present, new energy vehicles can be roughly divided into three categories based on their power systems. The first type is pure electric new energy vehicles, which are completely powered by batteries. Currently, they mostly use ternary lithium batteries as charging carriers and are generally equipped with power recovery systems. The second type is a hybrid electric vehicle, which uses a fuel engine and electric motor as a combination of power and is generally equipped with energy storage components and energy control systems. The power distribution plan is adjusted according to driving conditions, effectively improving energy efficiency. The third type is fuel cell vehicles, which use fuel cells as the power source and convert chemical energy into electrical energy through chemical reactions. Compared to other new energy vehicles, fuel cell conversion efficiency is higher.

The increasingly prominent environmental issues have made environmental protection a common topic facing the world. According to research by authoritative foreign scholars such as Sheldon Williamson, assuming that all electrical energy is generated by thermal power, pure electric new energy vehicles emit approximately 179g of carbon dioxide, 0.05g of nitrogen oxides, and 0.7g of sulfur compounds over a hundred kilometers, while traditional fuel vehicles emit 259.6g, 0.15g, and 0.592g of harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons under the same conditions, It can be seen that compared to traditional fuel vehicles, except for a slight increase in sulfur compounds, other emissions are significantly reduced. Moreover, with the continuous development of a series of clean energy sources such as hydropower, wind power, and solar power generation, the energy-saving and emission reduction effects of new energy vehicles will also further increase.