New Report Finds Them ‘Significantly More Expensive to Own,’ Reveals Toxic Consequences for ‘Disadvantaged Communities’ Who Mine Battery Materials

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Energy Equality Coalition today released a video highlighting a new study that examines the hidden cost of Electric Vehicles. The study, conducted by globally recognized consulting firm Arthur D. Little, raises alarm about the environmental damage caused in the production of Electric Vehicles and offers fresh data on the high price of owning one. 

“Electric Vehicles are much more expensive and much less environmentally friendly than industry propaganda suggests,” said spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg. “This study offers underreported truths about the industry and we’ll ensure policy makers receive a copy as they debate requiring working-class taxpayers to subsidize electric vehicles they could never afford to own themselves.”

Arthur D. Little Report Findings

“[Battery Electric Vehicles] generate a host of secondary environmental impacts greater than those of [Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles] … We found that over a twenty-year vehicle lifetime, a 2015 BEV generates enough human toxicity potential to impact human health by 20 days lost to death or disability… Battery pack manufacturing and more specifically human exposure to heavy metals such as cobalt and nickel in addition to graphite during the mining process accounts for the vast majority of human toxicity potential…The production of lithium-ion battery packs creates more damaging pollution to human life than ICEV generate over the course of a vehicle’s lifetime.” (Arthur D. Little Report, 11/29/16)

“...a consumer who chooses to drive a BEV over an ICEV shifts the environmental impact of car ownership. As detailed in a recent series of investigative reports by the Washington Post, much of the cobalt and graphite entering the supply chain for lithium-ion batteries is sourced from poorly regulated and heavily polluting mines in Congo and China. While the BEV driver reduces their local contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, they create a more diffuse set of environmental impacts spread across the globe, the consequences of which are largely borne by rural and often disadvantaged communities near the mines from which BEV suppliers source raw materials for battery pack manufacturing.” (Arthur D. Little Report, 11/29/16)

“Our study concluded that BEVs were significantly more expensive to own… BEVs are cheaper to operate than their ICEV counterparts. However, this cost advantage was subsumed by other factors, such as the higher manufacturing costs for BEVs, and the BEV’s need for a replacement battery pack and an alternative mode of transportation. Ultimately, the high underlying cost of BEVs is a limiting factor in their future market penetration in the US automotive market.” (Arthur D. Little Report, 11/29/16)

EEC Background: The Energy Equality Coalition is fighting to end unfair subsidies and ensure a level playing field for American energy consumers. The EEC works to educate the public about energy policies that disproportionately benefit the richest among us at the expense of working-class Americans. We believe there should be balance in energy policies, not special treatment for an elite few who can afford to take advantage of them. energyequalitycoalition.org