Researchers make surprising discovery after studying electric vehicles: 'More reliable'
A United Kingdom study that examined 300 million battery-powered and internal-combustion vehicles has highlighted how quickly electric tech is advancing. In fact, EVs are "more reliable" and can "match the lifespans" of gas-guzzlers, according to findings from the University of Birmingham.
EVs "offer significant environmental benefits, especially as Europe switches to a more renewable energy mix," Birmingham economics professor Robert Elliott said in a news release.
The study, published in the Nature Energy journal, included government vehicle records that charted the "health" of a variety of car types on U.K. roads between 2005 and '22. Longevity and powertrain durability for EVs, gas, and diesel vehicles were analyzed.
The big takeaway: EV advancement has rapidly brought the modern conveyances to parity with fuel-powered vehicles, per the report. It was put together by an international, multi-institutional team.
It found that EVs are more reliable — 12% less likely to fail "for each successive year of production, compared to 6.7% for petrol and 1.9% for diesel vehicles," according to the release. EV lifespan is now at 18.4 years and 124,000 miles, on average. The mileage mark is greater than gas vehicles, at 116,000.
Other reports are also touting EV benefits.
U.S. Department of Energy data showed that EVs prevent thousands of pounds of harmful, heat-trapping air pollution each year compared to fossil-burning rides, even in states where nonrenewables provide most of the energy to charge them.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that limiting our planet's warming is crucial to avoiding worst-case severe weather and human health risks that are made worse by Earth's overheating.
What's more, EV fire risk is in fact lower than that of gas cars, a common misconception set straight by Motor Trend and other publications.
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Battery ranges are increasing to hundreds of miles while charge times are dropping to only minutes. And battery costs are expected to soon plunge 50%. In fact, Recurrent reported that a pack replacement is estimated to cost less than $5,000 by 2030, on par or less than a gas engine rebuild.
While experts estimate that we will need to harvest around 30 million tons of minerals each year to power the cleaner energy transition, the mining will still fall far short of the 16.5 billion tons of fossil fuels annually hauled out of the ground, according to Sustainability by Numbers. And MIT experts confirmed that EVs are better for the planet during their lifetimes than gas cars, despite a manufacturing process that generates more pollution.
Better yet, it's a great time to make the switch. You can save up to $1,500 per year in gas/maintenance costs. In the U.S., tax breaks of up to $7,500 are still available for certain models, pending possible policy changes under President Donald Trump.
The evidence is substantial, indicating that the University of Birmingham's report is more confirmation than revelation about how fast EV tech is advancing.
"Despite higher initial emissions from production, a long-lasting electric vehicle can quickly offset its carbon footprint … making [it] a more sustainable long-term option," Elliott said in the release.
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