Another great pro-BEV study that is incorrect because it is illogical!

What period of time is the "entire life cycle" of the BEV calculated over? At just 10 years, the BEV is probably the worst eco-mobile of all generations because the battery usually loses power and the range decreases. So should the BEV be scrapped after 10 years??? The annual mileage and whether the vehicle is/was used by private individuals or companies and authorities in an ecological way or with "full throttle & fast charging" are decisive! Private individuals drive a few km/miles per year, but companies and authorities usually drive a lot of km/miles per year.

How many km/miles do you drive per year - just as an idea:
Private individuals - 10,000km or 6,214 miles
Companies - 70,000km or 43,496 miles
Authorities 50,000km or 31,069 miles

For the information of EVERYONE here:
A vehicle with an ICE drive usually "lives" for more than 20 years if it is not scrapped due to accidents or government repression.

As you know, I collect CARS & motorcycles that are over 20 years old and these VEHICLES are all in very good technical condition when purchased and still are now. Only the lead battery has to be changed every 3 years because batteries are known to be the "number 1 breakdown problem" - as we know from the ADAC in Germany. This is also confirmed by the AAA in the USA. I continue to buy cheap old vehicles and save a lot of MONEY because there is no loss of value and the service is cheaper than with BEV...

Herman,

Modern EV batteries lose about 1% of their original capacity per year, which is comparable to fossil cars. I don't know if you are a fan of the old BBC show "Top Gear," but they did a few segments where they tested used cars, and they found that 30-50% of the original power/performance/efficiency had gone missing over a decade.
It's great that you collect old cars, but that's a hobby. It's not a practical mobility solution for most people. In most cases, vintage cars are relegated to a weekend/leisure role where they are rarely driven. Most people don't enjoy spending most of their "spare" time fiddling with old tech in order to get to work.

Hi Herman

I am usually taken as something of a sceptic here about BEV cars, at any rate for some of their claims.

I would confirm though that in terms of lifetime GHG emissions the gap against combustion engines is substantial, and ever growing as the grid is decarbonised more and more.

Here is an excellent study which Polestar carried out some time ago, comparing the Polestar 2 with the XC40 ICE, so that they had both sets of data available as they were both in-house.
https://www.polestar.com/dato-assets/11286/1600176185-20200915polestarlcafinala.pdf

Obviously YMMV as not every producer is as punctillious as Polestar, but to my mind the detailed analysis is conclusive.

Yep, BEVs produce way less GHG over their lifetimes than ICE, as the gap is ever growing.

Roger,
Even a hybrid Camry is still 1/4 as efficient as a BEV. Granted, it's slightly better than a non-hybrid, and Toyota has nothing better to offer right now. Maybe they shouldn't have rested on their hybrid laurels for 20+ years?
You should know that battery recycling saves a lot of energy. Modern processes are very efficient.

Very good point, SJC. The Camry hybrid has an EPArating of 51 MPG, while a comparable BEV would have an MPGe of around 110, so half the efficiency, but from well to wheel, gasoline refining is 85% efficient while electricity generation is around 40% efficient as a composite among coal and NG power plants, so the overall well to wheel the two are equivalent WTW in efficiency.

And as the electricity supply will have more RE, then the fuel supply can use more green methanol from waste biomass and forestry wastes to match. Then, whenever the grid will become 100% RE, then people can use PHEV with higher electricity range, like 60-100-mi electric range, to be fueled with green methanol occasionally for long trips in order to be 100% RE as well.
Pure BEVs are only a niche product really only for high-performance enthusiasts or high-luxury buyers who have no need for long trips.

Roger, your 40% efficiency number only applies to the worse of generation plants built in the previous century. These plants are getting phased-out, replaced with plants that are up-to twice as efficient. It isn't really accurate to plot future electricity generation using end-of-life technology, even if it makes your "numbers" look better.
The current US grid mix is around 50% NG, with low-carbon sources (hydro, nuclear, wind, solar) above coal for the other 50%. Interestingly, low-carbon generation reaches 50% during off-peak hours when a majority of Americans might charge their cars (America being a country of single-family housing).
Also, a "comparable" EV to the Camry is the Ioniq 6, with 150 MPGe, not 100.

In other words, your figures are off by 100% here, 50% there, and even then they don't pencil-out for your argument. Imagine if you had used real numbers!

I suspect that you are using outdated figures because you haven't done your sums in a long while. I encourage you to revisit your numbers. What may have been true in 2014 isn't anymore in 2024.

The following link discloses the annual heat rate for various thermal power plant. Dividing 3412 BTU /kWh by the heat rate to get thermal efficiency.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_08_01.html

@Bernard,
I did not massage any number, nor misstate anything.
I just Googled: "What is the fuel efficiency of the BYD Seal 06 DMi" and got:

"Size of its gas tank aside, BYD says these hybrids have done 81 miles per gallon, as Wards notes, and that's on depleted batteries, drinking just 2.9 liters (roughly three-quarters of a U.S. gallon) of fuel over 62 miles. The full 2100-km range is with a full tank and full battery."

Then, I Googled: "What is the price of the BYD Seal 06 DMi", and got:

"On 28 May 2024, BYD launched the new DM-i 5.0 PHEV platform and advertised its 2100 km range on the Seal 06 DM-i and Qin L DM-i. Both cars were introduced with a starting price of 99,800 yuan (13,750 USD). These cars took center stage at the BYD exhibition at the Shenzhen Auto Show, where BYD invested 138 million USD."

We all know that BEVs, PHEVs, and HEVs all require far fewer maintenance and repairs than ICEV. I own an HEV so I should know. Other than oil change, collant change, tire change, spark plug change at 100k miles, and windshield wiper blade changes, there is no other maintenance needed nor repair on my HEV, which is nearing 200,000 miles. No brakes job, ever, no water pump replacement, no alternator nor starter replacement needed as in ICEV.

A PHEV requires far fewer oil changes, may be once every few years. Never needs spark plug change. Still needing coolant change every 10 years, same as in BEV. There are studies that found out that you don't have to change the oil in your car annually if you drive little. The oil won't go bad if your can is not driven, IF you drive it long enough for the moisture to evaporate away from the oil, meaning NO SHORT TRIPS, in ICEV, which people don't make short trips using the engine. in the PHEV anyway.

@Bernard,
I have not yet address the EPA range of the BYD Seal, because their EPA range and MPG and MPGe under EPA specs are not available, because they are not intended for the US market.
However, we can simply compare the MPG of the Seal PHEV at 81 MPG under CLTC standard, and the MPGe of the Seal BEV 82 kWh version also under CLTC standard. So, these are the same cars, with one being a PHEV and the other a BEV to make the most valid comparison.
The MPGe number of the Seal 82 kWh BEV is not availabe, so I calculated it using its CLTC range of 430 miles. 430 mi / (82 kWh /33 kWh per gal of gasoline) = 173 MPGe, vs 81 MPG for the PHEV version. So, in this case, the efficiency of the BEV version is a little above twice that of the PHEV version, just to support my contention about the RELATIVE efficiency of BEV , HEV, and PHEV.

The HEV generally have a little better efficiency than its PHEV version due to it being a little lighter in weight, so if a HEV version of the BYD Seal exist, it would have exactly half of the efficiency of the BEV version.