Done with prejudice
Electric cars and e-bikes are still causing heated discussions. Five key aspects of electromobility are examined here.
Undeserved hype, environmentally harmful production, short range, too few charging stations and lazy e-bike drivers: there are numerous prejudices about electric vehicles. Study results are summarized below and five questions on the subject of electromobility are answered.
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At the end of 2019, 28,716 pure electric cars were registered in Switzerland.
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Are electric vehicles a short-lived trend?
Critics often complain that electric cars will not prevail. However, the number of electric vehicles on Swiss roads is continuously increasing. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 28,716 pure electric cars were registered in Switzerland in 2019. In the canton of Zug, the one percent mark was exceeded; the proportion of electric vehicles among all redeemed passenger vehicles was 1.4 percent at the end of last year. In the canton of Zurich, the electric car quota was 0.9 percent in 2019, and the one percent mark should be broken this year. Norway has by far the highest market share for electric cars in Europe, since electric vehicles in the Scandinavian country are massively promoted through discounts and cross-subsidies.
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What about the environmental footprint of electric cars?
Electric cars do not emit any CO2 emissions while driving, but the energy consumption during production is higher. There is a large amount of gray energy in cars. This is the energy that is required to build, transport and sell the vehicle. The production of electric cars including the battery is in most cases more complex than that of a car with an internal combustion engine. This is partly because manufacturers tend to rely on light aluminum. Steel is mostly used in cars with internal combustion engines. The production of aluminum pollutes the environment more than that of steel. In addition, electric vehicles are now often equipped with lithium-ion batteries. When the raw materials used for the battery are mined, toxic substances are sometimes used and released, which has a negative impact on the ecological balance of the batteries.
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However, the internal combustion engines of cars are extremely inefficient, so the average efficiency is currently between 20 and 25 percent. In contrast, the efficiency of electric motors is 90 percent and more. An electric car therefore requires significantly less energy to cover the same distance as a car with a diesel or gasoline engine. The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Heidelberg has checked the mileage at which the electric car has generated less CO2 than an internal combustion engine. An electric vehicle overtakes the gasoline engine after a good 60,000 kilometers, and a diesel vehicle has 80,000 kilometers. The emission values for Germany were taken into account for the study commissioned by the Agora Verkehrswende think tank. In Switzerland, electric cars are likely to do much better because the Swiss electricity mix is much cleaner.
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Is the range of electric cars big enough for everyday life?
How many kilometers can be covered in a single charge in an electric car is very different. Tesla models of the S series, for example, have a range of up to 600 kilometers, but even with cheaper models from Volvo, Kia or Hyundai, distances of between 350 and 400 kilometers can be reached with one battery charge. This would allow Switzerland to be crossed at its widest point without having to stop at a charging station. For everyday life in Switzerland, the range of cheaper electric cars is sufficiently large, only vacation trips require more careful planning than driving with a combustion engine. This disadvantage is continuously reduced by an ever denser and more accessible electricity filling station network.
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The distances mentioned at this point are manufacturer information that were achieved under laboratory conditions. The Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) tested the range of electric cars under real conditions. For this purpose, the loading of the vehicles was modeled on a holiday trip. In addition to the driver, they were loaded with the mass of a passenger weighing 75 kg, two children, each weighing around 30 kg, and 20 kg of luggage. In addition, the climate and heating regulation was set to the comfort temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. The TCS conclusion: «With today’s electric vehicles, acceptable ranges can now be achieved even under demanding conditions. However, this comes at a price. The vehicles tested are still more expensive to buy than comparable cars in their class, but their lifespan is compensated for by lower maintenance and operating costs. »
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How many charging stations are there in Switzerland?
Not only the range of electric cars, but also the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is constantly improving. According to the statistics portal Statista, there were over 6000 charging stations in Switzerland in 2019 – that’s four times more than in 2014.
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Are e-bikes only for the lazy?
Electric bicycles often do not replace the normal bicycle, but the car or public transport. Thanks to the e-bike, according to Pro Velo, the umbrella organization of local and regional associations for cyclists in Switzerland, new user groups are getting back on the bike. These include senior citizens, commuters with longer distances and large differences in height from their place of work, or families with bike trailers.
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