Global lifecycle emissions of electric and combustion vehicles 2021, by stage
Battery electric vehicles produce the lowest lifecycle emissions when compared to other vehicle types. In 2021, an average medium-sized battery electric vehicle – of over 16 years and 240,000 km – released a total of 30 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e). While production emissions for this type of vehicle were higher than for hybrid or internal combustion engine vehicles, use phase emissions were considerably less. On the other hand, internal combustion engine vehicles emitted a total of 56 tCO₂e, with 47 tCO₂e of the emissions resulting from the use phase.
