Polestar – the premium EV sibling of Volvo, itself owned by Chinese firm Geely – has revealed the true lifecycle carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of its Polestar 2 electric car, and called out car makers over a “disturbing lack of transparency” relating to the environmental impact of different types of car.
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The firm has also highlighted that “supply chain traceability is essential to avoid human rights violations and environmental damage from mineral mining”, alluding to concerns surrounding the supply of materials such as cobalt, which is often mined by children in unsafe working conditions.
EVs responsible for three times less CO2 than petrol and diesel cars
Whole life emissions
The lifecycle CO2 analysis shows that from the moment metals are mined and materials produced for the manufacture of a Polestar 2, to the end of its life and the recycling and disposal of its components, the electric car is responsible for generating 50 tonnes of CO2. That compares to 58 tonnes for a petrol-powered Volvo XC40 SUV – a cleanliness improvement of 14 per cent for electricity over petrol.
That 50-tonne figure for the Polestar 2 is based upon the global electricity mix, however, and falls to 42 tonnes when cleaner European electricity is used as the basis for calculations. If wind power alone is used to charge the Polestar 2’s batteries, it would be responsible for just 27 tonnes of CO2 over its lifecycle. Those figures mean in Europe a Polestar 2 is responsible for 27.6 per cent less CO2 than the XC40, and could be up to 53.4 per cent cleaner.
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