Electric car boom caused pollution concerns

EU experts warned that the booming of electric vehicles means that the EU will have to consider building nearly 50 power plants that generate the equivalent of the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant in the UK, which could cause serious pollution problems.

Research by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) has shown that if a large number of electric vehicles are charged with electricity from coal-fired power plants, the overall level of sulfur dioxide air pollution may rise.

Battery-powered cars are widely considered to be more environmentally friendly than cars that use gasoline or diesel fuel, and can reduce emissions of certain types of air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, as well as carbon dioxide that causes greenhouse gases.

However, Magdalena Jozwicka, research project manager at the European Environment Agency, said that for countries like Poland that mainly use coal-fired power generation, the benefits of electric vehicles may be “questionable”. “Although there are obvious benefits and opportunities, there are some risks. ”

Stimulated by the government's huge subsidies, the sales of European electric passenger cars have increased significantly in the past six years, but they still accounted for only 0.15% of the total number of passenger cars as of last year. However, the EEA estimates that this ratio will reach 80% by 2050, when the EU will need 150 GW of electricity to power the car for charging, while the UK's planned Hinckley Point nuclear power plant will only generate 3.2 GW. .

The EEA warns that this could put a heavy pressure on the EU's power infrastructure, especially in countries that use renewable energy in large quantities, and coordinating energy demand from electric vehicles can be a major challenge.

According to EU data, as of 2014, wind, water and solar ( 0.00 , 0.000 , 0.00% ) power generation accounted for 25% of the EU's total power generation, nuclear power accounted for 27%, but still 48% of electricity comes from coal, natural gas and Oil power generation.

EEA research shows that if the electricity used by electric vehicles is all from coal-fired power plants, then the carbon emissions of these vehicles over the life cycle are higher than gasoline or diesel vehicles.